Less Than Human
by Sopheryl
Summary: Androids may have looked human, sounded human, and even acted human but it was all just programming. Kurogane Suwa knew that from work and experience. But when he found an android in the rain, he started to wonder just what he did know. Eventual KuroFai.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: And so, I have started yet another fanfic. This is an effort at making one that has longer chapters than I usually end up doing - my goal is at least 6 or 7 per chapter. We'll see!_

_Before jumping in with the fic, I'd like to explain something. This, my readers, is an AU fic, sorta. I have been reading way too much Chobits, as in I sat down and read books 3-6 one night before bed, and then this little plot bunny wiggled it's way into my head and refused to leave. That resulted in me going to my laptop at 1 in the morning and typing out the rough idea and explanations. Even so, as we speak, the plot bunny is still bouncing around. That said, this is somewhat of a spiritual crossover with Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicles and Chobits, but not quite, because it's very different. It pulls from Chobits in many ways (and those will probably be super, super evident), but I tried really hard to make it something different and new. If you have any questions, feel free to ask it in a review, send me a PM, or e-mail/message me on YIM (though I haven't been on there lately)._

_I apologize is there's any super ooc-ness, but some minor ooc actions or whatnot are to be expected of an AU fic. I tried my best to keep Fai all cheery and seemingly innocent, Sakura sweet, Syaoran….I'm not sure how to describe him in a couple words, and Kurogane grumpy. The only ones I'm worried about are Syaoran (Because despite him being the main character-ish of TRC, he still gives me trouble!) and Kurogane (I just have a hard time with grumpiness, I guess…)._

_Anyways, all that said, I hope you enjoy, and super thanks to my very patient and picky beta, Kori123, who deals with me blabbing about my fic troubles at random time and talks through how I could improve things! _

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Kurogane Suwa was sulking.

Kurogane Suwa, with his half-assed degree in android programming and study, contributor to the fighting-class android research-and-development part of Celes Corp because of his extensive knowledge of multiple fighting styles, was _sulking_.

He stood at the lobby of the building, looking out at the rain as it fell, heavy. The only thing missing were the cats and dogs floating down the slightly-flooded streets. It was too late to deal with this. It had been a long day of tracking physical movements and translating them into a form that could be programmed later, and an even longer day of dealing with several crashes whenever they tried to download the data. Acceptable losses in their research, but all those crashed androids would have to have their drives wiped and reloaded with even the most basic information. Designations, builds, vocal programs, audio understanding, even how to move. Damn it - that all took time. He only hoped that someone was staying (and getting some glorious overtime pay) to at least start clearing out the corrupted data.

As if that and the rain weren't bad enough, he couldn't go home just yet. Oh no - he still had to pick up some groceries because his two androids were stuck at home. As perfect as androids were, any slightly less-than-sealed seams, and every android had at least a few that weren't completely sealed so they could be accessed, in this rain would probably result in several electrical shorts, rendering them useless. Not to mention, even without a short, if they got too cold in the rain they could crash entirely.

All this lead to the reason that Kurogane was standing in the lobby of Celes Corp's fighting-class android facility, glaring at the thin glass separating him from the outside downpour at eight in the evening.

"I. Hate. Rain," he muttered, when he finally gave up, and pulled out his umbrella. Tucked into his wallet, which was itself tucked into his coat's pocket, was a short list of groceries written in android-perfect print, all things he had to pick up before heading home. It was only up to him because of the rain. Stupid rain.

Stupid, stupid rain. He hated it when it rained like this. It was just plain inconvenient when his androids couldn't go out and do things like this for themselves, especially on days like today that took a toll on his (already short) patience and temper.

He opened his umbrella once he got outside, holding it over his head as he walked. A car was a waste in this city, so he'd never bothered to get one, and a motorcycle was useless on a day like today - he would have been soaked to the bone long before getting to work or home. No, on days like this he relied on his own two feet, even if he had to be watching so he didn't end up stepping right into an ankle-deep puddle.

Thankfully, the little convenience store was very conveniently on the way home, and not too far out of the way.

"Good evening mister Suwa!" The clerk said, as Kurogane entered, shaking off his umbrella. "Quite the storm, huh?"

"Eh? Yeah," Kurogane muttered, grabbing a basket and sticking his hand through the loop of his umbrella. It swung as he pulled the list out of his wallet, and as he walked, slapping against his pant leg. He gave a little grunt, annoyed, but ignored it as he put things in the basket. With a grumbled, "that's everything," he moved to the front of the store, putting the basket on the counter.

"That all for tonight?" The clerk asked, scanning the barcodes. "The rain is keeping your androids at home, huh?"

"Yeah," Kurogane said with a shrug. "They don't run as hot as others, so I told them to not leave home unless it's an emergency." He pulled a card out of his wallet and ran it through the reader, typing in his pin number when indicated by the tiny screen.

"You sure do care about them. Your two, you built them from scratch, right?" The clerk bagged up the items, taking the receipt from the printer, holding it, and the bag, out.

"It's a lot cheaper to do that then buy them complete." Kurogane took the bag and receipt, sticking the tiny paper and list into the bag.

"I suppose so," the clerk said. "Come again, don't catch a cold out there in the rain!"

Kurogane didn't reply, just waved and left the store. He opened his umbrella, tightened his grip on the bag, and started to walk. The water was completely covering the roads by now, and starting to creep it's way onto the sidewalks. "There's no way we're supposed to get a hurricane," he muttered as a wind blew past him, chilling the back of his neck. "Damn it. I should have packed a scarf."

As he turned a corner, his foot slid off the side of the sidewalk and into one of the ankle-deep puddles he had been trying to avoid. His shoe was soaked - so was his sock, and his pants, and it was starting to seep up. He let out a curse and jumped back. "Fucking damn it!" He yelled, glaring at the offensive puddle. "Don't fucking need this."

"Looks like that one having some trouble," a voice said from behind him, so he turned.

"What's it to you," he growled, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the person.

Blond, fair skinned, wearing a too-big, blue hoodie that was several shades darker from being soaked by the rain and stuck to him. Even through it, it was obvious he was thin - or at the least, slim. His jeans were worn, ripped here and there, and soaked to the knees. His shoes seemed to have suffered the same fate, slightly shiny , wet as they were, in the streetlights of night. Maybe he'd stumbled into the same puddle.

As Kurogane glanced back up and met the blond eye-to-eye, he raised an eyebrow. The pupils contracted in a way that wasn't [I]quite[/I] human, and there was the faint shimmer in them.

This blond wasn't human. He was an android.

"Hey," the blond said, smiling suddenly. "Where is this place? Fai is lost."

"Fai?" Kurogane kept his eyebrow raised.

"This one." The blond pointed at himself. "This one's designation is Fai."

"Well then, _Fai_, what are you doing out here?"

"Fai doesn't know." The android looked off, towards the street. "Fai was dumped here, because Fai served his usefulness."

"Your owner will be back for you." It was a statement, not a question.

"Maybe. Fai doesn't know." It was an answer, not a statement.

Kurogane didn't need this. He definitely, definitely, didn't need this. And yet - "How long have you been out here?"

Blue eyes went blank as the android looked off. "Fai's internal clock reads seven P.M. So Fai has been out here twelve hours."

"What?" Kurogane snapped. "Your clock is an hour behind, first of all. Second of all, it's a miracle your systems haven't all locked up by now."

"Fai is running many programs, as to avoid locking down, freezing up, or crashing." The android's voice echoed, wavered, as if the vocal programs were failing, but after a moment, was back to normal. "Fai has been tossed out before. So, Fai is accustomed to running what programs will heat most, and take the least amount of energy."

"You mean this has happened before? You've got a shitty owner."

"Fai has no owner. This has happened many times before to Fai." The robot smiled. "Fai is Fai's name. What is that one's name?" He pointed at Kurogane.

"Kurogane Suwa," Kurogane said, irritated by now. Who would take an android, one that clearly was glitching, and leave it out in the rain?

"That one is Kuro," Fai said, still smiling.

"I said Kurogane!" Kurogane snapped. Maybe they left it out because it was damned annoying.

"Fai cannot use designations longer than four letters," Fai said. "Fai is broken. That is what everyone calls Fai. But Fai doesn't need names in working. Is Fai broken?" The android had an honest gaze, tilting his head.

So that was it. Someone couldn't afford to fix him - or simply didn't want to. Androids found on the streets were free game for anyone, but most were just stripped down of all hardware, fixed up externally, and sold as husks for people who wanted to start from scratch. There was money to be found in the business, if you were lucky enough to find decent-looking models. Given the prices lately, this one, 'Fai', would have probably made a fair amount.

"What did you mean before, that you're lost?" Kurogane asked. "Just log in and get directions to the nearest police station and turn yourself in. Someone will pick you up." He took a step, to walk away, but stopped at Fai's next words.

"Fai does not have those capabilities. Fai has no someone to pick Fai up."

When Kurogane looked back, Fai was looking right at him.

"Is Kuro leaving?"

"Yeah, I'm going home," Kurogane said, watching him.

Fai smiled, brightly. "Then Fai is sorry. Fai kept Kuro from going home." He looked back off at the main road, as if waiting.

"What are you waiting for?" Kurogane said. That annoyed feeling rose up again, gnawing at the edges of his temper.

"Maybe the person who dropped Fai here will come back. Or maybe Fai will be picked up by someone new. Fai always just waits."

The android almost sounded sad, as if he couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. Or maybe he did believe them, and he hoped (not that a robot could feel such a thing as hope) that such a thing really would happen, while all the calculators in his electronic brain were telling him otherwise.

"You're stupid," Kurogane grumbled. "Fine. Fai. Come on. You can recharge at my house." What was he saying?

Fai looked back, blinking at Kurogane with wide-eyed innocence before the eyes closed slightly, and the smile turned into something darker. Kurogane couldn't quite place it.

"Fai will come," Fai said. He stepped away from the wall and walked to Kurogane, standing next to him under the umbrella. "If Kuro wants, Fai will carry the bag."

"Fine," Kurogane said, holding it out. Without objection, Fai took it, holding it to his chest. "How's your core temperature?"

"Above normal for compensation for the low external temperature," Fai said, in that hollow, empty sort of voice that androids always used when giving status reports or naming what functions they were doing at the moment.

"Hm." Kurogane tightened his grip on the umbrella as he walked forward, back along his journey. Fai walked beside him. He was clearly low on power, that much was clear by the slight hesitation in some of his steps. "Who constructed you?"

"Fai doesn't know."

"Who designed you?"

"Fai doesn't know that either."

"Do you know anything?" Kurogane said, irritation rising again.

"Fai knows some things. Fai knows his job."

"Cryptic," Kurogane countered, with a roll of his eyes. He went silent, and so did Fai. The android just walked, still smiling, until they got the house that Kurogane called home. He opened the door without waiting. "I'm home," he called.

"Welcome home!" Two voices said, coming into the entry way. The only two androids he, personally, had ever owned, Sakura and Syaoran. They were both simply built for the household, though he'd given them both impressive firewalls and a generous handhold of different skills.

"You have a guest?" Syaoran asked, immediately looking at Fai.

"You have a guest!" Sakura echoed, going over and taking the bag. "Hello, guest!"

Sakura was certainly programmed to be the sweeter of the two - only appropriate for a girl. Syaoran's programming lead him to be a bit suspicious of new things or people, but he usually warmed to things in time, especially when Sakura seemed to approve of or accept whatever or whoever it was. Originally, he hadn't wanted two beings that were so friendly, so trusting, to be around him and his household, but after a short interaction with their original programming (dark and sort of depressing, really), he'd wiped them and restarted. His house didn't need any more people like him. Oh no - one of him was enough. Still, the cheerful happiness of Sakura and the suspicious happiness of Syaoran was often infectious, and helped a bit. Especially on days like this.

"Hello," Fai said, pointing at himself. "Fai's designation is Fai. What are these one's designations?"

"This is Sakura and Syaoran," Kurogane said, kicking off his shoes. "Stay in the entry way until you're dry and in something else. Syaoran, get a towel and some clothes for him. Anything I've outgrown is fine. Then get him a plug in. Sakura, how's dinner coming along? I'm going to change." As he started up the stairs to the bedrooms, Sakura walked along beside him.

"Dinner should be done in a few minutes," Sakura said, ever cheerful. Even Kurogane had to be impressed with how well her personality had come out in her program. Some people thought that she was human upon meeting her. He supposed that was the point, and a little shine to his pride..

"Good." He rubbed at his forehead. "I'll take a beer with dinner. God, I need it." He opened his bedroom door, and Sakura saluted at him.

"Yes sir!" She said, smiling and running back down the stairs for the kitchen. He half-listened to the sounds of the household (only wary about crashes - for some reason, Sakura's balance was always a bit off) as he pulled off his tie and dress shirt from work, tossing them in the general direction of the hamper and digging around in his closet for something more comfortable. What he found was a t-shirt and pajama pants.

Whatever. It wasn't like anyone was going to see him, except for the three androids downstairs, so what did he care?

"All plugged in?" He asked when he came downstairs, looking into the living-dining-kitchen-room. Fai was wearing something from a few years ago when Kurogane was still in college, and the emblem was splashed across the front, complete with matching pajama pants. A cord was extending from the back of his neck and was connected to an adapter that was plugged into the wall. The blond looked asleep.

"He shut down most of his running systems," Syaoran reported. "Or, that's what he said."

"Huh. Go get my laptop and get ready to hook up to him, I want to see what I can find out." Kurogane made his way over to the table and picked up the beer bottle already sitting there, taking a long drink from it before Sakura could object.

"You're supposed to drink it out of a cup!" Sakura yelled, holding up the cup she was holding.

"It's fine like this." Kurogane sat and gave it to her anyway, watching as Syaoran walked out of the room. She poured the bottle into the cup, seeming quite pleased with herself as he started to eat soup on the table before him. "I don't like soup."

"You say that, but it's the best thing for rainy days, and you always eat all of it when I make it," Sakura sat, sitting. "Still, having soup and drinking beer. You are an odd person, master."

Kurogane just grunted in response and kept in on the soup and beer. He looked over when Syaoran came back in with his laptop and a handful of wires and adaptors. "Go help Syaoran," he said, and Sakura hopped up, walking over to help plug in the wires. "Sakura, you'll be the run-through. Hook her up."

Syaoran and Sakura both nodded. She leaned forward and the tiny seam on the back of her neck appeared,. The cover from the seam made a faint 'click' as it opened, and folded back, revealing the various terminals. Syaoran plugged into one, connecting the other to the laptop. They stopped there, sitting patiently until Kurogane finished his soup and his drink. He left the dishes there and went over, sitting cross legged on the floor.

"Fai. Can you wake up for me?" He asked, watching the blond android.

"Fai is awake," he announced, hand twitching before he opened his eyes. He lifted a hand to the shirt. "Fai is wearing Kuro's shirt. Syao got it for Fai. This is okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine, I asked him to do it," Kurogane said. "Listen, I'm going to look at your base information, so Sakura's going to connect to you. Do you understand?"

"Fai understands," Fai said, smiling. He leaned forward and Syaoran moved to attach a wire to one of the ports to him. Like before, the other end went to Sakura.

Kurogane kept his eyes on the screen. "Syaoran, be prepared to pull the connections by force if needed," he said, and saw the male android nod from the corner of his vision.

"Accessing," Sakura said, voice hollow and empty.

"Just show me the basic. I just want to know his build, ID number, and owner," Kurogane said, eyes still on the screen.

"Understood. Accessing. Requesting permission," Sakura said. Her pupils contracted and dilated in turn with a faint 'whirr' noise.

"Permission granted," Fai said, voice just as hollow.

"Displaying," Sakura said.

"Finally," Kurogane muttered, watching as the information appeared on the screen.

"Build, companionship. ID number, unavailable. Owner, none," Sakura narrated as the words appeared on the screen.

"Someone deleted all of it? Go in deeper, see if there's underlying files," Kurogane said, typing into the computer. This made everything just weirder.

"Warning. Firewalls detected," Sakura announced, staring ahead.

"Then stop, no use in finding out something we don't need to know. Exit access," Kurogane said, clicking out of windows on his laptop. "Guess there's no helping it. Both of you, back up your files for the day, then go recharge." Kurogane stood, clicking the laptop shut. "Fai can recharge here. I'm going to bed."

"Yes sir," Sakura and Syaoran said together, as Sakura reached back and pulled out the wires. The cover slid back into place with a small 'click' as Kurogane stood. He glanced at Fai, and the android was already closing his eyes, doing the same to his own wires and cover, hand falling limp as he went back into sleep mode.

Kurogane just shook his head and made his way back to his room. He hated sleeping on a full stomach, but the rain and humidity, combined with the beer, were making him drowsy. So, off to bed it was, with the distant hope that maybe it wouldn't rain the next day.

"Companionship build," he muttered as he laid back on his bed. Whoever had owned Fai and left him out, glitched as he was, really was an idiot. A household-build android was one thing. Even a worker-build android wouldn't have been bad. A protection- or fighter-build…well, those were precious enough that, even if broken, no one would toss one of those away. But no, a companion-build left out…It was a miracle that Fai wasn't throwing himself at people, if he was glitches..

Maybe he was a 'host' style one, with the proper human-android interaction programs, who knew better than to do things like that. Still, any companionship-build android was, in essence, only built for one thing - sex.

Kurogane rubbed at his forehead. He supposed that anything else would have been on an android that…pretty. Even if he had started out as a household model, as soon as the family was dead, if the inheritors of the estate had any brains for money, they would have him altered to be companionship-build. It wasn't like changing the official data was that hard, especially if he was post-production modified.

The thought came to him then - no wonder Fai's owner was unknown. Most people were scared of being judged for owning a companionship-build android, so they went unlisted. Still, they usually kept the ID number in the data. It made it easier to find them if they were stolen - or went crazy and left the owners to run their data-driven sex drives wild in the streets. Still, Fai had an odd design for a companionship-build. He was innocent looking, and the personality seemed to match, that much was evident by how quickly he had went with Kurogane.

Most companionship-build androids were designed to cater to odd and unique kinks. Tattoos, piercing, extremely thin, wild hair, wild personalities, masochistic or sadistic tendencies - anything was possible in the dark world of 'android dens'. Still, it was a business, and if you had the stomach for selling the sex, it could be quite the money maker.

Kurogane stared at his ceiling. What kind of people could Fai serve? Most who went to android dens weren't looking for innocence, they were looking for careful constructed fantasies, with the goal of what they wanted. Again, Fai seemed too innocent for something like that. Was it just his glitch again? The same one that limited his name association to four characters?

No matter. If Fai was some escapee from an android den, then Kurogane doubted there would be any kind of missing possession report. Den owners tended not to deal with the police. Android dens were right on the edge of actually being legal, and they walked a fine line. Besides, android den owners had all the data they needed, and they made more than enough money to buy more husks and hardware, so why go chasing after a single missing android? Chances were they would just get them again, cheap, when the husks showed up in some second hand shop. It was easier than dealing with the police and judgment from them and others.

"God," Kurogane muttered, flopping an arm over his eyes. He needed to stop thinking. He forced himself to sleep by practice alone. He could worry about all this tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks to everyone that's left such nice reviews, story alerted, or story faved! I was really worried how this was going to be received, but it really makes me excited to continue on when I get stuff like that. I was thinking of waiting longer to update this but…I was too excited and couldn't wait! So, chapter 3 will be up on Thursday, with luck._

_I think I should take this moment and say I've only read Chobits to book 6, so I'm actually not 100% sure how it ends, word-for-word, ha ha ha~. Anyways! I'm glad that my reviewers seem to be enjoying the story! I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint. _

_It's kind of nice to see that the first and second chapter made it. The document that I had my outline written in sort of disappeared and didn't save, so I had to rewrite my outline. Personally, I like this second one better. Oh ho ho~ It doesn't matter now, since the other one is gone. Anyways, I was able to make the first and second chapter fit, so I was happy._

_Also! I promise that the story plot won't be this….slow forever. It starts to pick up in the next chapter. We get to see some Fai-centric narration in chapter three, which I really like. The third and fourth chapters sort of have action/plot spikes. The first and second are sort of…bases._

_Also, Kurogane doesn't strike me as a morning person…and thus, in this fic, he is super grumpy in the mornings._

_Anyways, to all the thanks, and my notes back to people. 3_

_Thanks again to my awesome beta who caught many a mistake that comes from me writing these at 10PM - 1 AM. X_X You're the best beta ever~_

_True Despair - I'm glad it sounds original so far! I hope it continues to be so, ha ha._

_PhreshxxxBear - I hope this was soon enough for an update. :3_

_To. .Sky. - Oh man, I know! Most Aus are just kind of 'there' in a 'place.' I don't have a name for where this fic is, but I hope it's kinda leaked through that it's a city with…city stuff, I don't know. Ha ha ha, I live in a really spread out town, so I don't know these things. And as for android dens, the fact that you mentioned that makes me happy! When little details are caught, it makes me happy to think that people noticed it. I'm going to shut up now, or this will become an essay. :_

_Dark-anime-lover2 - I hope this chapter was as awesome as the first!_

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"Good morning!"

Kurogane lifted his head and glared at the clock. Seven in the morning, right on time. As usual. Still, he hated waking up this early.

"Good news!" Sakura said, from the foot of his bed. When he tried to pull the covers over his head, Syaoran, who was standing beside her, grabbed them and pulled them away, out of reach.

"Nothing can be good at seven in the fucking morning," Kurogane muttered. He sat up, rubbing his eyes as he looked at them. "Well? What is it?"

"It's going to be a beautiful, rain-free day!" They said, in unison. "According to the weather report," Syaoran continued in his empty android voice, as Sakura left the room, "it will be a warm and clear day, with a high temperature of seventy degrees Fahrenheit, and a low of fifty. There is a light breeze, and a few clouds in the sky, but it is otherwise clear." His voice returned to normal, pupils dilating. "Would you like to take your shower before, or after breakfast?"

"Before." Kurogane yawned as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He scratched at the back of his head as he made his way for the bathroom. "Any e-mail or calls?"

"Two work e-mails," Syaoran said, eyes going blank as he looked off. "No calls."

"Topic and senders of the e-mails?" Kurogane started up the shower, looking back at Syaoran.

"First e-mail. Topic - Data corruption. Sender - Touya Kinimoto. Second e-mail. Topic - Memo : Upcoming Holidays. Sender - President Ashura Celes." Syaoran looked at Kurogane. "Do you want me to read them to you?"

"No, they sound boring. I'll read them over at work. Go help Sakura."

"Yes sir!" Syaoran saluted (Kurogane never did figure out where they got the whole saluting thing), before leaving the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack.

"I didn't give them any orders on Fai," Kurogane muttered as he stripped and stepped into the shower. The warm water was relaxing, but not enough to send him back to sleep. Even if had, Fai had popped back into his mind, and was refusing to leave. He'd let Fai recharge here, but what could he do beyond that? He didn't need a companionship-build android. No, if he needed a lay, he could go to a bar. He didn't need to resort to androids.

He scrubbed at his hair harder, squinting his eyes shut as suds and water ran into them.

"Damn it," he muttered, rinsing out the shampoo. He pushed the shower curtain open and reached for the towel. "Damn it, where's the fucking towel?" He turned off the water blindly, reaching out farther as he wiped at his eyes.

"Kuro will have to reach a bit farther than that!"

Kurogane chanced the burn and opened his eyes, staring out.

Fai grinned as he held the towel a few inches away from Kurogane's outstretched hand. "Fai has the towel. So, Kuro will have to come out to get it."

"Give me that!" Kurogane snapped, pushing the curtain aside. He stepped out of the shower and grabbed for the towel, but Fai was faster. The android pulled it away and ducked under Kurogane's hand. He tossed the towel around Kurogane's neck and used it to pull them chest-to-chest, stomach-to-stomach, and…

"What the hell?!" Kurogane growled. Damned companionship-builds. Fai was just like others of his build in the end, huh? Tossing himself at any human. It was in their programming, their 'nature', even the 'host' models. It all came down to sex.

Fai just pressed his hips forward, more firmly. "For letting Fai recharge here, thank you Kuro." That smile was on his face again, mysterious but inviting, only to vanish when Kurogane shoved at him, causing the blond to stumble back a few steps, while Kurogane grabbed the towel from his lax fingers. "Fai is confused."

"Get out of my bathroom!" Kurogane said, pointing. Fai looked confused, but turned and left the bathroom, closing the door behind him with a little 'click.' Kurogane turned to his mirror with a growl, shaving with perhaps a little less patience that he should have, flinching as he cut himself a couple times. He hadn't cut himself in ages. "Fucking android," he muttered, then scoffed. It was a literal comment, too, wasn't it? When he opened the bathroom door and stepped back into his bedroom, he paused, and glared. "The hell are you still doing here?"

"Kuro told Fai to get out of the bathroom, but Kuro didn't say anything about his bedroom." Fai smiled, laying on his stomach and watching Kurogane from the bed. "Still, Fai doesn't think Kuro was too angry. Kuro is only human, so Kuro has only human bodily reactions."

"Only human?" Kurogane scoffed as he went over to his closet, pulling out clothes for the day. "Get out of my room."

"Fine," Fai said, getting up and making his way for the door. He was gone without another word, and Kurogane shook his head.

Only human? Fai was more than just glitched. Unless…

Kurogane paused in buttoning up his shirt. Maybe that was Fai's clientele wherever he worked. People that wanted to be bossed around and treated like trash. He shook his head and kept on buttoning. No, nothing he'd seen so far, the little that he'd seen, seemed to indicate that Fai could do anything like that. Innocent was the only word for him, and eager to please but not sure how if Kurogane had to guess. So maybe he wasn't glitched. Maybe he was just incomplete, or had a few files missing.

Whatever. Did it really matter?

He finished dressing and ran the towel over his head again before heading downstairs. He stopped when he entered the main room. "…Tomoyo."

"You sound so angry!" Tomoyo said from the table, laughing. "Is that any way to greet your cousin?"

"What are you doing in my house?" Kurogane growled as he made his way over to the table and sat. Syaoran set a cup of coffee in front of him, followed shortly by an omelette. Kurogane attacked it, annoyed as Tomoyo spoke.

"I came to walk you to work, of course!" Tomoyo smiled as she sipped a glass of juice.

"How long have you been here?"

"Oh, just a few minutes. More to the point, when did you get a new android? And where did you get that model? Most of the androids these days have such wild and vibrant designs, but he's sort of…a classic beauty." Tomoyo looked pointedly at Fai who was looking out a window, hands and nose pressed against the glass.

"Speaking of him," Kurogane said, not answering. He took a sip of coffee (that hardly tasted like coffee, really, with all the milk and sugar he used), before speaking further, lowering his voice, as if Fai wouldn't hear it if he were listening. "Listen, can you do me a favor?"

"It'll cost you," Tomoyo said, cheerfully, smiling brightly.

"Whatever," Kurogane growled. "Can you check the database for his specs today? Companion-build, short hair, blond, blue eyed, body type slim, appearance of early to mid twenties."

"Companion-build?" Tomoyo giggled. "Kurogane, did you finally give in? Oh, everyone will be so happy when you're less grumpy! It's like I was telling big sister the other day. If you got laid every now and then, you'd be in a much better mood, not to mention you wouldn't have to use all your energy in sports."

"That's none of your damn business!" Kurogane snapped, all too aware of the warmth in his cheeks and the back of his neck.

"Fai thought that was the kind of person Kuro-master was," Fai said, arms suddenly around Kurogane's neck. Kurogane hadn't even heard him come over.

"Don't touch me!" Kurogane said, trying to get him off, but Fai had the advantage of standing. Fai laughed however, and let go of Kurogane.

"Whatever Kuro says," Fai said, still laughing.

Kurogane just growled and focused on his coffee and breakfast. "It's not like he's mine anyways!"

"Well, what are you going do with him then?" Tomoyo asked, taking another dainty sip. "If he's not yours?"

"There's no ID number, and no listed owner. I was hoping you would turn something up at work. You have access to all the databases, right?" Kurogane put down his cup, turning his attention to the rest of his omelette. "We can return him to whatever company he's made by, at least, and they can figure it out from there." Kurogane blinked when he felt a hand on his arm and looked over at Fai, kneeling next to the table. It was the blond's hand, gently tightening.

"Kuro is going to get rid of Fai?" Fai asked, sounding worried and frowning. It seemed out of place on his face. For a moment, Kurogane felt a flash of guilt at the thought of getting rid of someone, especially when Fai said it like that, as if he was sad, until he saw the way Fai's pupils shifted and he remembered. Android.

"You're not mine, what else can I do?" Kurogane pried Fai's hand off his arm and stood. "Come on, we're going." He left the room, leaving Fai there. Tomoyo was right at his side, and Sakura and Syaoran followed like they usually did.

"Do any shopping you need to," Kurogane said, grabbing his coat and pulling on his shoes. "But don't leave Fai alone here. One of you stay, or take him with you, use your judgment. Understand?" He tapped the toe of his shoe on the floor to make the fit more comfortable, and looked back at them.

"Understood!" They both said, then clapped. "Do your best today Master Kurogane!"

"Tomoyo," he growled, looking down at his younger cousin.

"I may have altered their goodbye program," Tomoyo said with a giggle as she went out the door. Kurogane just grumbled to himself as he followed, closing it behind him. "Well, anyway, if you can't find Fai's owner, I'll take him," she said, pointing at herself.

"What? Tch, like I'd give you an android," Kurogane said, starting to walk. She walked beside him, smiling.

"But his body would be perfect for modeling!" She looked up at the sky, hands clasped together. "His body shape, that hair, and his eyes! If he wasn't a custom job, I must find who produced him. Ooh, Kurogane, let me design something for him!" She attached herself to his arm, looking up at him. "Pretty please!"

"Can't you just be happy with designing things for Sakura and Syaoran?" Kurogane muttered, not looking down at her.

"But he'll be much more of a challenge! And I've never had the chance to design for a companionship-build model before!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kurogane tried to shake her off his arm, at one point even lifting her off the ground an inch or two, to no avail.

"Have you ever seen a companionship-build model's basic programming? Sakura and Syaoran would be embarrassed by things he wouldn't, it's in the basic personality drives!" She stopped when something squirmed out of her bag and clung to her jacket - a gold-yellow colored, cartoon-like lion with two little wings.

"Phone call!" It said.

"I'll answer, Kero," Tomoyo said, lifting it to her face.

"Tomoyo! We have a meeting in half an hour, please tell me your new designs are ready?" The voice came out Kero's mouth, very much human. Kurogane vaguely recognized it as one of Tomoyo's assistants.

"Of course! They're on Kero. I'll be there in a few minutes," Tomoyo replied happily.

"O-oh, I'll see you then, then!" Kero's wings shifted, and the little lion-thing's voice changed. "End of call!"

"Laptops are so much easier to transport," Tomoyo said as it hopped to her shoulder, before she pointed at Kurogane. "Except yours now."

"What?" He stared at her a moment as she giggled.

"Never mind. Better hurry, or you'll be late!" She said, skipping ahead.

"Of all the companies to work for. Of ALL of them, I had to end up at Celes Corp alongside you!" Kurogane called after her. She just laughed over his shoulder. Kurogane squared his own shoulders as he started back along.

Kurogane glanced at the clock on the wall, typed in the last command, and pressed enter. He wasn't supposed to have to input data, but one of the interns had called in sick. They couldn't continue on with the fighting strategy programming without these androids functional, so there he was. "How are you feeling?"

"I am functioning at acceptable efficiency again. Thank you," the android said, staring ahead at the wall, blankly. These ones had only the barest of personalities, most just built around being polite and following orders. No use in giving them full personalities when they were just made for fighting, and especially when they were still accepting the files on fighting, strategies, and logic indicators.

"Go back to your hub and shut down." He logged off the computer and stood. Wires detached from the android's neck and open arms, falling to the ground as the compartments slid shut. The android stood, swaying slightly before walking over to the far side of the room and sitting on the bench, connecting to a port on the wall, alongside many other androids. "As for me, I'm going home," he announced. The others just nodded or didn't even notice - one waved and said 'have a good night!', but it was only the one. He grabbed his jacket at the door, and rode down the elevator from the third floor to the lobby. As soon as he stepped out, Tomoyo grabbed onto his sleeve, smiling.

"You're smiling, that can't be good," Kurogane said, leaning away.

"Oh, you always say that! I found something out, but I don't think you'll be happy." Tomoyo kept on smiling as she let go and the two started for the door.

"And what's that?"

"No one has a model that fits his exact specifications," Tomoyo said, and Kurogane interrupted her from saying more.

"Of course that doesn't make me happy. Damn it." Kurogane continued to mutter under his breath as he stepped outside.

"I wasn't finished! You're so impatient!" Tomoyo laughed. "It only gets worse. There's no missing property reports or requests for information pertaining to him, even on the custom boards. I checked the legality though. He's all yours if no one claims him in a week!" She clapped him on the shoulder. "So, I'll send something to your house if no one takes him back!"

"Something?" Kurogane was almost scared to ask.

"Some outfits! Oh, this will be so much fun! I have some things for Sakura and Syaoran as well, so I'll send them all over! If you want to pay me back, send me a bottle of sake!" She waved over her shoulder as she started up the street, in the opposite direction of Kurogane's house.

"I don't want to pay you back! I don't want it at all!" Kurogane yelled, but she just laughed. A few coworkers stared (but only the ones that weren't familiar with their odd familial interactions), and Kurogane barely grunted a polite 'hello', before turning and making his way towards home. He was almost home when he started thinking.

A week, huh? A week, and that was it before Fai was his. "I'll file a report tomorrow," he muttered. Why was he thinking like this? Someone would claim Fai. How could they not? Someone had put careful thought into designing him.

"….ro!"

That much was obvious. His appearance wasn't an accident by far. No one 'accidentally' designed an android. There was time spent deciding things. Eyes in themselves were complicated. Shape, color, size, all took time to decide.

"…uro!"

Hair was even worse. Style, length, color even. Some even had two-toned hair. Then there was texture, and if it was straight, or waved, or curled, or -

"Kuro!"

- was someone calling his name?

He stopped and lifted his head, looking up as something tightened around his arm. He looked back.

"Kuro almost walked past Kuro's house!" Fai said, cheerfully, holding on the sleeve of his jacket. "So Fai came out to tell Kuro!"

"Why are you wearing one of my shirts?" Kurogane said, pulling away.

"Fai has no clean clothes," Fai said, smiling. "Saku is a girl, so Fai can't wear that one's! And Syao is shorter, so Fai can't wear that one's either! So Fai wears Kuro's clothes. Is Fai wrong?" He leaned towards Kurogane. "Would Kuro rather Fai not wear anything?"

"Don't say such stupid things!" Kurogane snapped, grabbing Fai by the upper arm and leading him back into his house. "I'm sure your own clothes are dry by now, so get out of mine and go change." He kicked off his shoes.

"Okay," Fai said, reaching down and starting to pull off the shirt he was wearing. The shirt was halfway off before Kurogane grabbed the hem and yanked down.

"Not in the entry way! God, you take everything so literal!"

"Fai does what Kuro says," Fai said, cheerfully.

"Go get your clothes from the dryer and change behind a closed door," Kurogane said, pointing. "And then meet me in the living room, we need to talk."

"Fai will change then talk," Fai said, nudging off his own shoes before heading off, already pulling Kurogane's shirt back off over his head again.

Kurogane just growled and went to change himself before going downstairs. He grabbed his laptop from a side table and sat on the couch.

"Master, Celes Corp has sent out a hardware update," Sakura said, appearing in front of him. "Syaoran and I are going to shut down for a bit to accept it! It shouldn't take long, we'll be back online long before dinner needs to be taken out of the oven."

"That's fine, go ahead," Kurogane said, without looking up as he opened his laptop and unlocked the computer. With androids able to do almost anything a computer could, there was something therapeutic about looking a screen and doing things for himself. Besides, the program for translating audio into data could glitch surprisingly easily, so for something like putting up a 'found android' notice this was better. After a few minutes, a pair of arms wrapped around his neck, and one hand was pointing at the screen.

"This is an ad. Is this about Fai?" Fai rested his chin on Kurogane's head.

"Sit like a normal person," Kurogane said, patting the couch. "And yes. You're supposed to notify others when you find an android. If no one claims you in a week, I can do whatever I want." He shrugged as Fai pulled away, and raised an eyebrow as Fai climbed over the back of the couch. "Are you really companionship-build?" He asked, looking down at Fai as the android snuggled against his side, curling an arm around Kurogane's.

"That is what Fai's ID information says, so Fai must be companionship-build." Fai looked up at him, smiling. "Fai thought Fai made that obvious this morning." When Kurogane just kept on typing, Fai laid his head on Kurogane's shoulder. "Is Kuro Fai's new owner? Fai wouldn't mind. Kuro seems nice. Saku and Syao are nice to Fai too."

"You can stay here until someone claims you," Kurogane said, after a few moments. "And if no one does, we'll figure out what to do with you then. Just stay out of Sakura and Syaoran's way when they're working."

Fai laughed. "Okay, Fai will stay out of those one's ways."

"That's getting irritating. Maybe I should take a look at your vocal units," Kurogane muttered as he posted the notice.

"Kuro?" Fai asked as Kurogane closed the laptop.

"What?"

"Does Kuro have any friends? Fai sees no pictures of Kuro and other people. Fai sees hardly any pictures at all. Kuro doesn't have a girlfriend? Tomo was Kuro's cousin, right? But Tomo said that Kuro doesn't like people much." Fai kept his eyes on Kurogane's face as he spoke, eyes shifting.

"People tend to be stupid," Kurogane said, as if that was supposed to explain everything and end the conversation. But no, Fai kept on with it.

"But Kuro has androids. Saku and Syao are sort of like humans."

"Androids are easier to deal with it. Unless you program them like an idiot, no means no, and that's it. They don't argue, they tend not to disappoint. They're more simple, and I don't have to deal with the bullshit that comes with understanding humans. Humans have two faces. They say one thing, and mean another. Androids, you can't understand that, or do it. It's programming. Things break, but they can be fixed. If humans break, sometimes there's no fixing that." Kurogane spoke softly, then stood, pulling his arm back, setting his laptop on the coffee table in front of the couch. He let out a breath, standing there a moment, only to make a surprised noise when two hands grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled back him back onto the couch. There was a moment of struggle, but he stopped when his wrists were held in a tight grip.

In a moment of clarity, he narrowed his eyes. Fai was straddling his hips and holding his wrists. The smile on his face didn't reach his eyes.

"Kuro looks sad," Fai said, quietly. "Fai wonders what happened that Kuro depends on androids more than people.

"The hell do you want from me?" Kurogane growled, flexing his hands to keep them from falling asleep.

"Fai wants to know. That. And other things." Fai tilted his head. "Why doesn't Kuro use Fai for Fai's intended purpose?"

"Why were you designed like this?" Kurogane set his mouth stubbornly, waiting.

"Fai was built imperfectly. Fai was built like a human." Fai laughed. "So, does Kuro hate Fai? Because Fai isn't perfect like other androids. Fai can lie. Fai can fail. Fai has done both before. Maybe Kuro won't use Fai for Fai's intended purpose because Fai is flawed. That's what Kuro thinks, isn't it? That Fai is broken, and glitched. Isn't it?"

Kurogane just stared at Fai. When he finally spoke, it wasn't to answer. "I want to see your human-android interaction data."

Fai smiled, letting go of Kurogane's wrists and sitting back. "Fai is going to enter sleep mode," he said, getting off Kurogane.

"I'm not letting you go that easily," Kurogane snapped, grabbing Fai's arm as the android tried to walk away. "You're going to give me answers. Now."

"Kuro is not Fai's master, so Fai doesn't have to answer." Fai smiled down at Kurogane. "One week, right?"

After a moment, Kurogane let his arm go. "One week Fai. If no one claims you, you're telling me."

"Okay." Fai kept on smiling. "But, still, Fai can't tell things he doesn't know." Before Kuro could reply to that, Sakura and Syaoran walked back in, and Fai disappeared into another room.

"Dinner time!" Sakura announced, and Kurogane sat up on the couch. One week. Seven days. The desire to get answers loomed in the back of his mind, second only in the thought that, at this point, Kurogane hoped that no one would claim Fai.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N : Well, it's that time again! Time for my terribly long author's note before I get around to the fic. First things first - I have started up a twitter! If you want to stay updated on my and my fics, cos plays, art, and general stuff, check it out! ( http:// twitter . com/ sopheryl Just take away the spaces!)._

_This chapter runs a bit short, sorry about that!  
_

_So, before I get to the replies to some of the reviews, I'd like to say that I really like this chapter. It was a lot of fun to write, and we get some more plottage in here…though I think some people have already figured a few things out, ha ha. And I would reply to everyone's reviews, but most would be the same answer, see my second point below._

_Firstly, my ever continuing thanks to my beta!_

_Secondly, thanks to everyone who reviewed and is loving the story and chapter! I hope that the next chapter doesn't disappoint._

_Even though it's from chapter one : Rahar Moonfire - Oh, it's probably chock full of errors! Ha ha ha. I tend to write these fics between 10PM and 1AM. That's when it just seems to all come out. I try to catch most of them though._

_1227kitsune - I really liked how they fit Chi inside the Tsubasa manga because, well, I love Chi. Ha ha ha~ I'm glad you enjoyed seeing Kero-chan, he'll return later! And upon reading your comment, I realized I hadn't fit Mokona in yet…but you'll see Mokona in next chapter, though maybe not in a way you'll be satisfied with, ha ha ha~_

_To. Touch. The. Sky - This may sound silly, but I was super anxious to hear what you thought of chapter 2, because of your enthusiasm in the first one, ha ha! I hope this one is just as awesome!_

_L-L-Love - Oh, the mystery only gets deeper in chapter and the next one. :3_

_Rove - I love angst-laden Fai as well, but this fic seems to be turning out to be cheery Fai, ha ha ha!  
_

_ZELLT - 'Magic' will be making an appearance in chapter 4, so stay tuned!  
_

_

* * *

_

The next day was Friday, and Kurogane went home early when the interns said that all there was to do was yet more android refurbishing. As soon as he got home, Fai attached himself to Kurogane's side and refused to leave it. If Kurogane went to one room, Fai followed, like some duckling. No, Kurogane decided. Fai wasn't a duckling. The stupid android was a cat. This was clear when Fai curled up next to Kurogane on the couch, using Kurogane's legs as a pillow.

By the end of Friday, he was ready to dismantle Fai and sell him for scraps, legality be damned. It only got worse Saturday morning when Fai (somehow) convinced Sakura and Syaoran to let him wake Kurogane himself.

"Good morning Kuro-master," came Fai's sing-song voice over his head. As he spoke, something _else_ was trying to say good morning (despite Kurogane's mental objections), as Fai ran his hands down Kurogane's stomach, towards the hem of his pants. Companionship-builds. Did they ever learn?

"Git yer hands off me," Kurogane muttered, tiredly, shoving Fai away slightly. He reached out blindly until he found his clock, lifting his head only enough to squint at the numbers. "Fuck this, I'm going back to sleep, it's only eight. I'm not getting up until ten."

"Fai will wake you up again in at ten!" The android didn't leave the room but flopped down next to Kurogane, closing his eyes as he went into sleep mode.

And that was how his Saturday started. And his Sunday. On Monday, it happened an hour earlier.

"You're not supposed to be the one waking me up anyway," Kurogane said, sitting up and blinking at Fai tiredly.

"Fai told Saku and Syao it would be more time and energy effective to let Fai do it, since Fai is not doing anything else." Fai leaned forward. "According to Fai's internal calendar, it has been almost a week."

"It'll be a week on the day after tomorrow." He stood, stretching. "Whatever. If you want to be useful, go help Sakura and Syaoran with breakfast. It shouldn't hard, even for a companionship-build."

"Fai tried, but Fai hurt Fai's self." Fai held up his hands. The artificial skin was darkened, and there were a few cuts in it, showing slivers of silver muscle-imitation underneath.

"Let me see." Kurogane grabbed Fai's wrist and lifting the hand up. "Nothing that can't be fixed. We'll just have to graph on new skin. Alright, fine, go do something that doesn't involve high temperatures, knives, or water."

"Fai will." Fai got off Kurogane's bed, then clapped. "Would Kuro like to hear the weather report? Fai heard it on the television earlier."

"Yeah, sure," Kurogane muttered, going for the bathroom. He stopped halfway when Fai spoke.

"It's raining," Fai said, before skipping out of the room.

Unfortunately, Fai had heard right. Even more unfortunately, Fai had still insisted on walking him to work.

"I don't know if I trust you to get home," Kurogane muttered when they reached the building.

"Fai memorized the path," Fai said, smiling. "Fai will pick Kuro up after work!" Before Kurogane could respond, the android skipped out from under the umbrella and into the rain, spinning in circles and kicking at puddles. For all intents and purposes, he seemed like some hyperactive young man. Kurogane shook his head and went into his building. It was going to be one of those days.

* * *

Fai stopped halfway across the parking lot, legs in mid-step, arms in mid-swing when a program clicked on in the back of his mind, past the firewalls that kept others out. His joints whirred as he lowered his leg, and his hands returned to his side, looking off. His auditory programs blocked out the rain and city sounds as he stared, and his vision programs switched to 'selective', making the rest of the world blurry and grey as he focused on the target chosen by the program.

"That one is Fai?" He asked, looking at the him-that-wasn't-him standing before him. The him-that-wasn't-him looked the same, except that he wasn't wearing the clothes. While Fai was wearing the clothes from the day he'd met Kurogane, the him-that-wasn't was wearing some kind of bodysuit, and was slightly transparent. Fai could see the other side of the parking lot through this other him.

"No. I am Yui," the him-that-wasn't replied. In a mirrored motion, they both lifted their hands, pressing them together.

"Then that one is not Fai? But that one looks like Fai." Fai looked at their hands, then back at the Fai-that-wasn't-Fai's, Yui's face. His memory files scanned, but the only matches were all blocked and fire walled. Without a password, they were inaccessible. "Fai feels like Yui is familiar."

"It is okay not to remember." Yui, smiled. "Will Fai listen to me?"

"Fai will listen. Is Yui Fai's owner?"

"No. I am Fai's brother. It's okay if Fai doesn't remember, Fai doesn't need to remember. Then Fai is protected." Yui intertwined their fingers. "But Fai must listen to me now, okay?"

"Fai will listen," Fai repeated, tilting his head. "What does Fai need to hear?"

"Fai must not come here. Okay?" Yui copied the head-tilting motion.

"Where is here?"

"Here is the Celes building." Yui's pupils contracted and dilated in the way android pupils often did.

"Fai must come here. Otherwise, Kuro will be lonely on his way to work." Fai smiled brightly. "Fai doesn't want Kuro to be lonely."

"Fai is very kind." Yui frowned. "That is why I had to do what I did."

"Is Yui sad?" Fai asked, concerned. His free hand lifted to Yui's lips, and Yui's lips were cold. Even androids had some kind of heat coming off their bodies, it was a byproduct of their electronic processes and physical movements - much like humans. "Yui is frowning. If not sad, Yui is upset?"

"No, no, I am happy. I am happy that Fai has found someone to keep company, and I am happy that Fai is so kind." Yui smiled. "But I am a bit worried about Fai, if Fai really does not remember. But that is okay!"

"It is?" Fai leaned towards Yui. "Does Fai know Yui? Fai has files, but Fai doesn't know how to unblock them."

"That's okay. Fai does not need to know me just yet. Still, I think Fai will remember soon." Yui paused, looking off at a window high on the building. "I need to go."

"Will Fai see Yui again?" Fai asked, looking up at the same window.

"Fai will. I promise." Yui closed his eyes a moment, and when they opened they were dilated to the point that there was barely a ring of blue around his pupils, and the tiny gleam of circuits could be seen. His voice was hollow and empty when he spoke, "Program : Guard, activate and go on standby. Program : Angel, standby."

The vision before him disappeared as Fai stiffened, staring off at nothing as new data flowed through his connectors, hiding under his ongoing programs. His 'mind' was clouded for a moment, and his hand twitched. An electrical shock ran up his arm to his shoulder. "Warning. Designation Fai has suffered an electrical short. Warning. Designation Fai has suffered an electrical short. Compensating. Compensating. Awaiting commands. Awaiting commands. Data blocked. Commands not found. Standby. Restart." Fai closed his eyes as his programs shut down, one by one, first striking him blind, then deaf, then dumb, before he shut down completely.

Without his balance programs, Fai fell over, laying in the parking lot.

When he was reactivated, his internal clock told him that he'd been offline for three hours. One by one, his programs rebooted. As soon as his vocal programs were rebooted, he announced each of the essential programs as they activated. He was aware he wasn't alone when he heard voices, several, and 'felt' the other androids on the widespread wireless 'contact' they all had.

He opened his eyes when he was able to do basic operations - speak, see, hear, and move. He turned his head, and his eyes adjusts with an all-too-loud whirr as he blinked. "…Kuro?"

"Don't move," Kurogane said, without looking away from Fai's arm. "I swear, you're going to get me into trouble. Your arm is shorted out. I knew I should have told you to stay at the house."

Fai tilted his head as he looked down. The inside of his arm had been sliced open and the falsified skin had been pulled back as Kurogane worked, replacing bits of wire. Fai was laying down on some flat table, probably one used for the very purpose of repairing androids. Kurogane was sitting in a chair next to it, leaning over Fai's arm.

"I don't know what half of these connectors are," Kurogane muttered, narrowing his eyes. He prodded at opaque tubing, and tapped tiny light indicators that flashed green. "Like this. Any ideas Fai?"

"Fai doesn't know. " Fai sat up, trying hard not to move his arm.

"It didn't even cross my mind that your body construction would be different," Kurogane frowned. "There's no wires in it, it's just tubing." He poked at the opaque tubing again.

"Fai does not know," Fai repeated, emphasizing, and Kurogane shook his head.

"Why am I not surprised. Try to move your fingers," Kurogane ordered, watching his hand and the thin, silver-lines of muscle imitators contracted, like human muscle, and relaxed as Fai's hand clenched into a fist then let it lay flat. "Good." He looked back over his shoulder. "Tomoyo!"

Tomoyo danced over with a small tray. "Here it is, here it is." She set it down on Fai's lap. "Do you know what this is Fai?" She held up a small bottle before Kurogane snatched it.

"That is….glue," Fai said, blinking at it. "Because Fai is a robot. Glue is needed to attach Fai's skin to Fai's muscles." He watched as Kurogane uncapped it, applying dots to the underside of Fai's false skin.

"That's right!" Tomoyo smiled, then leaned in. "By the way…Fai…What are your dimensions? I'm sure you can access that data, right?"

"Tomoyo, fuck, you're not making him clothes," Kurogane said, pushing the skin back over Fai's arm, before pointing at him. "Don't move this arm for a few minutes."

"Fai understands." Fai smiled at Kurogane before looking at Tomoyo. "Fai doesn't know. But Fai is much smaller then Kuro." He looked back down, flinching when Kurogane used an instrument to push against the false nerves of his fingertips. "Ow! Kuro!"

"I barely touched you, but at least your nerves are working," Kurogane growled, poking at one of the tiny sensors in his finger tip cuts from his attempts at cooking from that morning. "These swatches won't match, but they'll have to do until I can get some that do." He reached over to the tray and picking up a small circular sample of the android skin, applying glue to it before placing it over the cut. He continued on, grumbling to himself. Tomoyo patted Fai's head (and Kurogane's, which earned her a growl) before she walked off, saying something about getting back to work.

"We need to back up your data," Kurogane announced, when Fai's hand was finished. Fai lifted it up, staring at the blotches of slightly-darker skin on his pale skin.

"Fai is spotty now."

"We'll get a color that matches better later," Kurogane said. When Fai moved to get up, he held up a hand, then pointed back at the table. "No, you're staying here until I get off work. And once I'm off work, we will walk to the nearest store and find your skin color." He poked Fai's chest. "And only after we've bought glue solvent, more glue, and replacement skin, will we head home. Understand?"

"Fai understands." Fai smiled.

And so they did.

"Is there anything inside you that _isn't_ fire walled?" Kurogane growled, staring at the computer screen on his desk. The warning had come up for the fifth time in the last half an hour. Warning. Firewall. Password needed. Kurogane didn't have a damn password! "The hell does a companion -build need with firewalls anyway? What's being protected? A digital Kama Sutra?" He scoffed, and his chair swiveled slightly as he moved.

"Kuro knows a Kama Sutra?" Fai looked up at Kuro from the floor, leaning his head against the outside of his thigh. "Why would Fai need firewalls for something like that?"

"I'm just thinking out loud, there's no need to answer me." Kurogane kept his eyes glued on the screen as he tried to hack his way around another firewall. He hadn't done anything like this since high school. It simply wasn't that fun, really.

But no, comparing Fai's firewalls to his old high school's was insulting to the android. These were much more challenging, and things like there weren't his strong suit. Still, he didn't want to risk using Sakura's programs at this point. No, not yet.

"I can't even back up your data. Damn it. What if you crash again?"

"What happens if Fai crashes again?" Fai poked at one of the computer towers under Kurogane's desk, curiously.

"Don't touch that," Kurogane scolded, only glancing down. "And if you crash again, you could suffer damage. And then I'd be to blame." Fai only made an affirmative noise before going quiet and just watching Kurogane type on his keyboard.

"Kuro?" He asked, quietly.

"What?" Kurogane snapped, narrowing his eyes as another firewall warning appeared. Six of them now.

"Just what does Kuro do at work?"

"Huh?" Kurogane looked down at him. The android blinked up at him innocently, so Kurogane shrugged. "Minor programming. Specific motions. And I consult on defensive and offensive moves. They're fight-build. They're going to be used in the military, for bodyguards, things like that, so the more they know, they more use they can be used in close combat."

"Oh. Would Kuro be upset if he couldn't do that?"

"I guess." Kurogane pushed away from the desk slightly, looking down at Fai. "I spent most of my life learning this stuff. Competed in middle and high school .College too. Why?"

"Would Kuro say he's built for it?"

"That's a weird question," Kurogane said. He leaned back in his chair. "I guess. But I got my build from it."

"Fai doesn't mean physical build like that. Fai means…" Fai scrunched up his face, then clapped his hands together. "Born! Fai means to ask if Kuro thinks Kuro was born to do things like this."

"Eh? I guess."

"So, Kuro would be unhappy if Kuro didn't get to do what Kuro was born to do, right?"

"I guess. …Where are you going with this? This is pretty nonlinear for an android."

"So, the feeling Fai feels is sadness, because Kuro isn't using Fai for what Fai was built to do."

"That's different!" Kurogane frowned. "What kind of logic programs could come up with that?

"Logic programs follow model Celes 001-Y-F." Fai's voice was hollow. When Kurogane just stared at him, Fai tilted his head. "Kuro can't blink?"

"What did you just say?"

"Fai said something?"

Kurogane peered at him. "You don't remember?"

"Fai does not remember." Fai pursed his lips then nodded.

"Fai, what audio programs do you use?" Could it really be so easy?

"Celes A345," Fai said, voice hollow again.

"Verbal processing programs."

"Celes C55-09."

"Of course, companion-builds are supposed to be submissive." Kurogane shook his head. "Still….Fai, do you have any parts or programs that aren't licensed to Celes Corp?"

Fai's eyes dilated. "One program found. Producer of program code - unknown. Source of program code - unknown. Purpose of program code - unknown."

"Well, that's so helpful," Kurogane turned back to his computer. Three other firewall warnings had popped up. He canceled the data backup attempt and reached to the back of Fai's neck to the plug that connected to him to the control. He pulled it and tossed the plug onto the desk. "We're done, there's nothing I can do. But at least we found something out."

"What did Fai and Kuro find out?" Fai asked, standing. He reached back, sliding the cover back into place over the ports.

"You were made by someone who buys from Celes. If all those parts are the ones I'm thinking of, you were very expensive. Someone had access to them before they went on the market." He narrowed his eyes. "Those are recent, and you must be a few years old, judging by the state of your muscle imitators."

"Kuro is so smart," Fai said, clapping.

Kurogane scoffed. "Now there's one I don't hear often." He stood up. "You know, day after tomorrow makes it a week."

"Then Fai is Kuro's!" Fai said, sounding almost excited.

"Eh," was all Kurogane said, ruffling his hair before walking out of the room and off to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

]_A/N: Seriously, I love you guys. Every review, story alert, and story face brings a big smile to my face and it's possible that they make me giggle like a school girl. Seriously~ They make me want to write more…which results in faster updates, oh ho! I'm going to try for Monday and Thursday updates from here on out._

_So, uh, before you start reading, prepare yourself for some craaaazy stuff this time around! Seriously. This chapter. It gave me so much trouble. So do the next couple chapters. Aaaah trouble._

_Ah, also, because I fear it may be causing some confusion…How to put this, ha ha. The Fai in the fic is the Fai as we know him from TRC, but his name was always Fai. This isn't really a spoiler for the fic here or anything, just something I think I need to say._

_Anyways, this time I'll keep it short!_

_Thanks to my beta, as usual, couldn't do it without you~_

_True Despair - I'm glad you're loving the mystery! There's even more here, ha ha ha._

_To. Touch. The. Sky. - I'm glad the dialogue makes you laugh! I notice that I tend to have some pretty dialogue-heavy parts, so I'm really glad to hear that._

_1337kitsune - Aaah, I'm so embarrassed! I do my review replies last, and I usually forget to check them! Also, that's a really cute idea, but unfortunately, I can't stray from my outline or my entire fic falls to pieces. I write down rough outlines of all the chapters before I get started on a fic, and that keeps me on track and keeps everything from rambling on and on like I usually do, a ha._

_A Better Nothing - Yui as Freya just clicks so well, doesn't it? If you take into account what 'Yui' did for 'Fai', if you get my drift. Well, switch around the names and it makes sense, I just don't want to spoil this for anyone who hasn't read that far, a ha._

_

* * *

_

The next day was a good one. Everything at work went smoothly, Fai was only slightly annoying, there wasn't any rain at all, _and_ he got paid. Yes, a good day indeed. The thought that the day marked the end of the week of required waiting for Fai to be claimed didn't even cross his mind as he fell asleep.

In fact, it didn't occur to him until the next morning, when Fai woke him up with endless poking.

Kurogane shoved at him and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Fai, where do you get all these ways to wake me up? At least you didn't try to grope me agai - the fuck are you wearing?!"

"Kuro doesn't like it?" Fai asked, sitting on the bed in a white-and-pastel blue maid costume, complete with ridiculous amounts of lace and frills, no shoes, thigh highs, and…was that a garter? "Tomo said it was for Fai, so Fai wore it!"

"Take that off!" Kurogane yelled, ignoring the heat that rose in his cheeks - and. What the hell as Tomoyo thinking? No, that was exactly the point. She [I]wasn't.[/I] When Fai started to pull off the costume, Kurogane sputtered. "Not in here! Go to wherever your clothes are and change there!"

"Oh." Fai stopped for a moment, then leaned forward on his hands. He stuck his face close to Kurogane's. "Does Kuro know what today is?"

"It's…Wednesday." Kurogane thought back on it, counting off on his fingers.

"Does Kuro know what's special about today?" Fai seemed tense, on edge.

"…No?" Kurogane said after a moment. Without hesitation, Fai launched himself at Kurogane, knocking Kurogane back down. Fai wrapped his arms around his neck, swinging his legs in the air.

"Today is the day that Kuro becomes Fai's master! It's been a week!" Fai smiled.

"Has it been?" Kurogane tried to shove Fai off him, but gave up after a few pushes. "Don't you have to listen to me then?"

Fai shifted and pulled back, resting his hands on Kurogane's chest. "But Fai doesn't want to. Fai told Kuro before! Everyone says Fai is broken. So Fai won't listen." The android pouted.

"Whatever. Get off me, I have work," Kurogane said. Fai let go, laying back on the bed as Kurogane stood. Kurogane went to the bathroom to shower, and when he came back out Fai was still laying there. Kurogane started to dress, silently, and Fai didn't say anything. With a shake of his head, Kurogane spoke. "Go get changed out of that."

"Kuro doesn't like it?" Fai asked, tilting his head.

"No, not really," Kurogane said, tying his tie in a mirror.

"Tomo gave Fai a hat too."

Kurogane paused in his tie-tying, glancing over at the android with an 'are you serious?' look before turning his attention back to the mirror as he finished the tie.

Fai was silent a moment, then started to giggle. "What?" Kurogane looked over again, eyes narrowed.

"Kuro is lying! Fai can see it! Kuro doesn't mind the outfit. Kuro even likes it at least a bit." Fai laughed. "Fai knows because Kuro's heartbeat went a little faster." He sat up, smiling, then stood up on the bed and took a few steps across it before stepping onto the floor. As soon as he hit the floor, however, his foot slipped on the hardwood and he fell back. He landed square on his ass with a little yelp. "Ow…."

"Clumsy," Kurogane growled, going over to help him up. He extended a hand and Fai took it, pulling himself to his feet.

"Fai doesn't like these!" Fai whined, pulling at the thigh-high stockings. "But Tomo said Fai has to wear them, because it's part of the outfit! Fai has a hard time walking…but at least Fai can slip and slide all over the house on the floors. Fai had a bit of fun earlier."

"Don't slide around the house. God, I need to fix that glitch in your vocal units. I'm tired of hearing 'Fai this' and 'Fai that'. I'm going downstairs. You," Kurogane looked at Fai, "are going to change out of that. That's an order." Fai laughed as Kurogane left the room, then went running after him, falling against Kurogane's back as he slipped again. When Kurogane growled Fai backed off, laughing still. "Didn't I tell you to change?"

"But Fai's clothes are downstairs," Fai said, smiling brightly.

"Whatever," Kurogane muttered, ignoring him as he went downstairs and stomped into the kitchen. "Tomoyo!"

"Good morning cousin," Tomoyo said, cheerfully. "Isn't Fai cute?"

"No," Kurogane growled, then glanced at Sakura and Syaoran and groaned. "All of them?"

"Well, a pink maid outfit for Sakura, I couldn't resist," Tomoyo said, with a laugh. "And a classic black and white butler outfit for Syaoran! It's fitting, don't you think? Now it's like you have a set!"

"Everyone on the street is going to think I'm a pervert," Kurogane muttered as he sat to eat. "If I actually cared what they thought, I'd be pissed at you." He started to spoon sugar into his coffee. "So, no one's claimed Fai."

"I figured as much. That's why I brought that over." Tomoyo gave a happy sigh. "He's so adorable in it, don't you think? I brought a few other things as well, but that one took the most time, so I wanted to make sure it fit him." When Kurogane just grunted, she giggled. "So, what are you going to do?"

"Change his build, put my name as owner," Kurogane said, as if it were all obvious.

"You're going to steer him away from companionship-build, hm?" Tomoyo giggled. "You know, you could always just download a few household programs into his hard drive. He could help out with some things, at least. If you downloaded some basic cooking programs, you probably wouldn't have another incident like last time. Did you get the right skin color to replace the samples from work?"

"I can't even talk to you about this," Kurogane said dismissively, waving a hand in the air. "And yes, I did."

"If you don't want him, just sell him," Tomoyo suggested.

"No," Kurogane said, impatiently. "I don't want to."

"You say that with such conviction. Are you sure you're going to change him from companionship-build?" Tomoyo giggled when Kurogane's cheeks pinkened, just barely.

"Shut up! It's not like that." Kurogane lowered his voice. "He's interesting is all. All his components and programs are from Celes Corp. And quite a few of them are fighter-grade parts."

"Fighter parts tend to run pretty smooth, even for android joints, you know that. They do their best to mimic the human joints so that they can use all the motions and techniques they've been programmed with, right? They're all cutting edge, leading the fields and so on." Tomoyo tilted her head, hands resting in her lap.

"Right, but that doesn't explain what a companionship-build android is doing with them. Speaking of fighter-builds though, we finally finished one with all the motion capture. They might let me go soon, if the test runs prove positive. They've got all the data, after all, and the learning programs for later are state of the art." He paused, coffee cup halfway to his mouth. "…It's a miracle they haven't already. Anyways, what I'm saying is that it's weird. He doesn't seem new, but most of those parts are. But there's no sign that he's been updated. I would know if he was, I know the signs."

"All dressed!" Fai said, hopping into the room wearing his old jeans and t-shirt, his hoodie tied around his waist.

"And all done. Sakura, Syaoran, when you go out today take Fai with you and get some clothes for him. He is [I]not[/I] running around in a maid costume." Kurogane glared at Tomoyo, who just giggled innocently. "And neither of you go out in those either. Change into normal clothes."

"But they're all so cute," Tomoyo whined. "At least keep the outfits around for Halloween!"

"Halloween!" Fai echoed, clapping. "That sounds fun!"

"Whatever, we're going to work!" Kurogane said, and that was the end of that. Still…

"Fai seems different," Tomoyo commented when they left Kurogane's house. "More…energetic. As if he's not holding back. Don't you think?" She looked up at Kurogane.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Kurogane stated, looking ahead as they walked. "It's not like I've changed his programming at all."

"Are you sure?" Tomoyo looked off. "Even so…Kurogane, don't you think you've changed too? Since he's been around?"

"What?" Kurogane looked over at her, and Tomoyo smiled.

"You just seem different, that's all. Like, the other day, you seemed very upset that he got hurt."

"He got shorted out," Kurogane corrected. "If someone hadn't see him in the parking lot, his entire system could have crashed-"

"And usually, you wouldn't care, unless it was Sakura or Syaoran." Tomoyo laughed. "Maybe you just can't see it. It must be a woman's intuition."

"See what?" Kurogane snapped.

Tomoyo just laughed again and changed topics. "Well, anyways, back to Fai! You've tried to search all his files, I'm sure. Maybe something snuck on." She frowned. "You've got virus blockers on your computer, right?"

"Don't change the subject." And yet, he took the bait. "Of course I have blockers, I'm not stupid!"

"Well," Tomoyo said, looking back. "That is up for debate."

"You want to say that to my face?" Kurogane yelled, making a fist. Tomoyo just giggled and broke into a run, and Kurogane chased after her, spitting out curses. Tomoyo (who had been in track and field in high school _and_ college) made it there moments before he did, jumping into a closing elevator and leaving him in the lobby, growling unflattering things under his breath as he glared.

"Ah, Mister Suwa," a voice said from behind him, cool and collected, and Kurogane straightened, turning to face it.

"President Celes," he replied, automatically.

"Please, Ashura is fine." Ashura Celes smiled, long black hair pulled into a ponytail. "We really aren't that formal of a building, are we?" Despite his words, he looked nothing but formal in his suit, hands pocketed.

"No, I guess not," Kurogane said, then cleared his throat. "Did you need something?"

"Oh, no, I suppose not. I was just curious." Ashura looked towards the door. "You usually walk to work with a young blond man, correct? I've seen you from my office window." He chuckled. "Not just you, of course. It's interesting to see people come in at the beginning of the day."

"Oh, yeah. That's Fai. I…found him. He's an android. No one claimed him…So I guess he's mine as of today." Kurogane shrugged.

"He had no listed owner?" Ashura raised an eyebrow.

"No. He's a custom job too, so I couldn't find a producer. There wasn't any ID code either."

"That's quite a mystery. Did you look into his hardware?" Ashura asked, and Kurogane nodded.

"It's all Celes Corp. The data though…It's all blocked by firewalls." Kurogane rubbed the back of his head. "My two androids at home have some impressive hacking programs," Kurogane admitted, "so I think they'll be able to break it. Then I can fix up some glitches. He has a problem with his vocal programs. Maybe his aware programs too. He always says 'Fai', never refers to himself as 'I'."

"I see. 'Fai', was it?"

"That's what he says," Kurogane nodded.

"I see," Ashura repeated, and gave a cool smile. "Well, even if we didn't hire you in that capacity, you are a talented programmer. I'm sure you'll be able to get past his walls."

"Thanks for the confidence," Kurogane said. When Ashura just nodded his head, then walked off, Kurogane rubbed the back of his head, moving for the elevators. Everyone knew the head of the building was an odd man. Rumors flew around as rumors will do, but Kurogane had never really listened to them. Maybe he'd make a detour before going to work. It wasn't like he was really needed at this point - coming to work was just a formality.

Only half of the third level of the building was for android design. They designed everything from the androids themselves to the things they would wear when leaving it. Kurogane wasn't sure why they needed to design specific clothes for these new fighting androids, but Tomoyo was head of that project and she seemed to be rather excited any time it came up. That was Tomoyo. It didn't matter what she was designing, just that she got to be creative.

"Oi," Kurogane said, knocking on her door frame. She looked over her shoulder at him, then back at the large screen on her wall showing 3D renders.

"What can I help you with?" She asked, all business, as she looked over the images.

"What do you know about Ashura? You know, head of this project."

"I know…he prefers everyone to call him by his by his first name. In his younger days, he was a programmer, and he founded Celes company with a few others. He's the one that proposed this specific project, in fact. He wants fighting-build androids to have a much wider variety of skills. I expect he'll continue on with this until they're perfect. From what I understand, that's what he always aims for, perfection." She tilted her head and reached out to the screen, touching one of the images. "Red." The color on the outfits turned to red, and she 'hmm'ed softly as she looked them over. "What do you think of this in red?"

"It's alright. What do you _think_ of him?" Kurogane asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Now, that's a bit tougher." Tomoyo smiled. "I think he is an intelligent man, but that's obvious, isn't it? But…" Her smile faded, and she frowned slightly as she crossed her arms. "I've heard things. Old stories. He's enough of a mystery that I think those might be real."

"Stories?" Kurogane asked. After a moment, he stepped in, closing the door behind him.

"I heard, back in college, he designed and hand-built an android. He took really basic hardware and expanded it with his own code. For a college sophomore, it was quite impressive." Tomoyo pursed her lips. "I heard the coding used stayed ahead of it's time until well after Celes company was founding - and that's why it's called Celes company. Most of the code used to found their androids was that. And even past then, I heard that he continued to write new code for his android."

When Tomoyo stopped, Kurogane narrowed his eyes. He had grown up with Tomoyo so he knew when she was holding back. "There's more to it, isn't there? Besides, that's more or less public knowledge."

Tomoyo turned to face him entirely. "I heard he wanted to create an android that was, for all intents and purposes, human, to replace someone he lost. I heard he even studied brainwaves and brain development for a few years. And even while doing that, he was designing android bodies that would mimic humans in every way they possibly could." She 'hmmm'ed softly, tilting her head. "But I heard he failed…"

"That line of thought isn't unheard of," Kurogane said, shaking his head. "So, what. There's plenty of people who are trying to make androids completely human. But that's just a dream." He frowned.

"It's not that," Tomoyo said thoughtfully. She looked off, out her window. "I heard that after his initial research, they decided it could have uses for fighting-build androids."

"How?" Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know." They stared at each other a moment, and Kurogane shook his head and turned back for the door. "Kurogane! Wait!" Tomoyo called, and the tone of her voice made Kurogane turn. "One more thing," she said, softly.

"What?" Kurogane asked, curiously.

Tomoyo turned back to the screen and, after a moment, an image of Fai in his maid outfit popped up on it. "Isn't Fai absolutely adorable like this?"

"Delete that!" Kurogane snapped before opening the door and stomping out.

* * *

"I'm home," Kurogane called when he opened the door, reaching down to pull off his shoes.

"Welcome home master!" Sakura said, coming into the entry way. Fai followed her, rocking back and forth on his feet. He was wearing something new - grey jeans and a grey, thin, long-sleeved shirt over any other layers. "We did as you said, and got Fai several new clothes. Two pairs of jeans, three shirts, plus what he's wearing now." Sakura gestured at Fai.

"That's fine," Kurogane said, waving his hand dismissively. "How's dinner coming along?"

"Almost done!" Sakura reported.

"Good…After dinner, we're going to work on Fai." Kurogane looked at the android. Sakura did the same.

"Is Fai broken?" Fai asked, pointing at himself.

"No. Maybe. But we've got work to do. Sakura, all your firewall blasting programs are up to date?"

"Yes."

"Good. I have a feeling we'll need them." Kurogane narrowed his eyes before going upstairs to change. For once, Fai didn't follow, but that was probably because Sakura had grabbed his arm and led him off to the work room. If Kurogane had to guess, she was probably already making the preparations. When he went back downstairs, Syaoran wasn't there, but dinner was on the table. Well, it was hard to hook up that many wires by oneself, even for an android, and especially if one of the androids you were connecting was yourself. He picked up his plate and walked to the work room with it, leaning in the doorway as he ate.

Sure enough, there was Sakura and Fai sitting on the floor, and Syaoran was between them, connecting the wires from each of them to each other and to the main computer.

"Got all the open ports?" Kurogane asked, and Syaoran nodded. Kurogane nodded back and set his plate aside when it was empty. He sat in his chair and leaned back. "Alright. Fai. Change your listed owner to 'Kurogane Suwa'. Understand?"

"Understood." Fai opened his eyes. "Processing, complying. Completed. Would you like to enter a password?"

"Yes. Tsubasa, with a capital 'T'. Now, change your build to 'Household'. Understand?"

"Understood." Fai stared off at nothing. "Processing. Processing. Request denied."

Kurogane leaned forward. "What do you mean request denied? Change your build to 'household'."

"Request denied," Fai repeated.

"Reason?"

"Password required."

"Capital T. Lowercase s, u, b, a, s, a."

"Incorrect password. Permission denied." Fai's fingers twitched, and Kurogane frowned.

"Alright, if it's time to play hardball." Kurogane cleared his throat. "Sakura, time to do your magic. Change his build. Program Mokona authorized." Mokona was simple but elegant hacking program. It was also, very, very annoying if you were the one getting hacked by it.

"Understood," Sakura said, keeping her eyes closed. "Firewalls met."

"Activate Mokona," Kurogane ordered.

"Understood. Activating Mokona programs. Soel program, engaged. Large program, engaged." There was a whirring to announce the shift of functions, and it was the only sound for several minutes as Sakura worked.

"Status," Kurogane said, watching carefully.

"Firewall break down in progress. One percent," Sakura said. Ten minutes later, the result was the same.

"Syaoran, log in and help," Kurogane ordered. Syaoran nodded and complied, sitting there, eyes closed. "Damn it, why is this taking so long?" Kurogane growled. "Maybe I should just set you both to work over night on this….Keep on working, I'm getting a glass of water." He stood up and halfway to the kitchen the phone rang. Half an hour later (when he assured one of his colleges that they could start downloading the programs into the androids at work at any time), he finally got his water and went back in. "Progress?"

"Three percent," Sakura and Syaoran both said.

"That's it?" Kurogane growled, and they nodded. "God, what's he got hiding in there?" He sat back down and turned to his computer, unlocking it with his password. "It's like we need some kind of zapper to get in under the castle….Syaoran, diagnostic cover approved for hacking programs, load it up. Maybe we can cover it."

"Yes sir," Syaoran said. "Copying. Zipping. Sending to Sakura."

"Received. Unzipping program. Downloading. Applying to program," Sakura replied.

"So long," Kurogane muttered, focusing on his computer screen, when there was a small 'ping' and a notification appeared on the action bar. "E-mail," he muttered, clicking on it. "What? It's just a picture of a phoenix."

"Password accepted," Fai said, and Kurogane spun back around in his chair. "Guard program activated."

"Wha-" Kurogane started, and that's when Fai's eyes narrowed.

"No. Access _denied_," Fai said, "You can't do that to me." For a moment there was just silence.

And then there was screaming. Sakura's eyes snapped opened and she lifted her hands to her head, clenching them in her hair as she just _screamed_.

"Firewalls breached," Syaoran reported, staring ahead, speaking while Sakura screamed. "Designation Sakura's systems crashing. 20%. 30%. Warning. Warning. Firewalls breached. Systems failing. 50%. 60%." His eyes widened. "Designation Syaoran's systems are under attack. Systems crashing. 10%. 20% 30%-"

"Disconnect! Damn it, disconnect, both of you!" Kurogane yelled. He couldn't even hear himself over Sakura's screaming, and was reacting before the words even left his mouth. He grabbed the wires from Syaoran and pulled them out roughly. Syaoran inhaled sharply, then fell forward on the floor, limbs twitching at the shock of the sudden disconnection. Kurogane reached out to do the same to Sakura's when something passed over him, sending all his hairs to stand on end and sending tiny shocks across his skin. The lights went out, plunging them all in darkness. He stood there as Sakura's screaming continued, then stopped abruptly. The computer behind him shut off, a sound marked only by the fan's noise stopping. All other sounds in the house died. It was almost silent again, but for one sound.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no…"

Whispers in the dark, repeating that same word, over and over again-

"No, no, no no no no…."

The lights flickered back on. Kurogane glanced down at the scene. Syaoran was holding Sakura. The male android looked dazed, pupils contracting and dilating wildly in an attempt to adjust, his hands still tightening and relaxing against Sakura's shoulder's, while the female android just stared off into space, pupils so wide that Kurogane could see the circuits.

"No no no no nononononono-"

"Fai!" Kurogane snapped.

Fai was backed into the corner, eyes wide, pupils pinpoints in a sea of blue as he stared at Sakura and Syaoran. He kept on whispering. "Nonononono." His hands lifted to his face, shaking. "I'm sorry, I - I'm sorry. No no no no nononono, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Kurogane, Sakura, Syaoran-"

"_Fai!_" Kurogane yelled, and Fai looked up at him, stared a moment, silent. Before Kurogane could take a step, Fai was yelling, scrambling to his feet, and running out of the room.

"NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO _ACCESS DENIED, ACCESS DENIED_, NO NONONO-" came the yells, muffled only by the walls. The yelling was quieted further by the slamming of the front door. Even then, it continued, from the outside and growing distant.

"Syaoran, get Sakura back online," Kurogane said, running out the door.

"But-" Syaoran started, but Kurogane was already at the front door.

"Just do it!" Kurogane yelled, pulling on his shoes, grabbing his jacket, before he was outside. He hit the sidewalk and looked both ways. He barely saw the flash of blond hair down the street, so that was the way he went, running headlong down the side walk. When he got to a four way stop and looked the other three ways, there was no sign of him. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called Fai's name, but the only answer he got was the echo.


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Chapter is short, choppy, and Kuro-centric!  
_

_I apologize in advance, all! This is usually about the time in fic writing where I loose my groove, things get rushed, and the quality drops, but I do my hardest to keep it at the level it's been going! That said - I really don't like this chapter much, so it was a bit rushed. My beta seems to be keeping me on a tight leash though, so maybe it won't happen. Ha ha ha. Also, cliffy aleeeert~ and to celebrate the cliffhanger on the end, and so you all don't murder me, chapter six will be updated on tomorrow, Friday, instead of next Monday! (On the other hand, it replaces the Monday update, a ha ha, I'll see you all with chapter 7 on the 20th) I'll try to keep up the schedule past that, but my birthday is coming up on the 25th (/shameless. I'll be 19!), so I'm a bit busy figuring out and planning my birthday party plans and all, a ha ha. I'll fit fic writing in there somehow!_

_Thanks to my beta! 5 and 6 were really tough and really slowed us down!  
_

_So, a few quick review replies! Thanks to everyone for the reviews, I love each and every one. I usually chose my responses based on what you say, asking questions (that I can answer, ha ha) or ones that really caught my eye._

_'Abstract' Orchastra - I noticed that I tend to make Kuro-puu a little wordy than he is and not quite grumpy and 'short' enough, and so his character has slipped a bit as time has gone on here. I'll try to get better in tuned to him, thanks for your feedback!_

_Turtle's Chpsticks - Your mention of Syaoran put me in a bit of a panic, because I couldn't remember if I really wrote my explanation of his reaction into here or if I just dreamed it, ha ha. It's mentioned in passing, and it will be addressed further in the future._

_Suki Doll - Thank you very much! I really enjoyed writing that scene, and I hope this chapter is written just as well (though I fear it may not be! D: )_

_To. Touch. The. Sky. - It is the scary fic that lives under your bed and goes bump in the night! A ha ha. Aaah, the maid outfit, I had such fun writing that in._

_Yoshikochan - Thank you very much! I'm glad to hear that Ashura is like Ashura. He has such a short appearance in Tsubasa, so we never get a grand feel for him, and I've never read the manga that he's originally from, so…I'm walking blind, ha ha ha. I'm just sort of trying to 'mysterious' and a little 'creepy' and 'oh-ho I'm Ashura and there's more to me than meets the eye.'  
_

_**As a final note, I have a question for you guys.** I have another fic in mind, another KuroFai one, that's also sort of Sci-Fi. It's not really like Chobits though, I'd say it seems more like I, Robot in some ways. It would be from Fai's point of view, instead of Kurogane's, probably…Anyways, would another Sci-Fi story be too much, or should I just forget it? And if I should forget it, anyone want to adopt the fic brain-baby?  
_

* * *

When Tomoyo stepped into the house, she took off her shoes and immediately stepped on the hardwood floors. "…Sakura? Syaoran?" When all was silent, she lifted her wrist and looked at her wristwatch. "7:30...Kurogane should be coming down the stairs by now." She looked back up, before giving a little call towards the stairs. "Kurogane?"

"Oh. It's just you."

Tomoyo frowned as Kurogane appeared, not from the stairs, but from the door leading to the 'everything else' part of the house. "Kurogane! What's wrong? You look like death warmed over!"

Kurogane just shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. There were dark circles under his eyes, his hair went every which way (even worse than usual), and he leaned against his doorway heavily. "I meant to call you." He rubbed at his forehead. "I'm not going to work today, I already called in sick."

Tomoyo squinted at him. "What? Did Fai keep you up all night?"

"In a way." When Tomoyo giggled, Kurogane snapped, "not like that! He ran off."

Tomoyo's giggles immediately stopped. "He ran off?"

"After crashing Sakura's systems and almost crashing Syaoran's."

Tomoyo's eyes widened. "Kurogane, have you slept at all?"

"I think I got about fifteen minutes around three in the morning. Had to upload Sakura and Syaoran with what I had backed up from yesterday. I had to uninstall and reinstall some of their basic programs." He rubbed at his forehead. "Syaoran's loyalty programs kicked in, he hasn't let her go. As soon as he was functional, he connected to help. They're sleeping now while Sakura finishes downloading everything." Kurogane let that sink in, then shook his head. "That's about it…Want some coffee or something?"

"I don't drink coffee, what do you mean you've haven't slept? Get in bed! You're tired and _rambling_." Tomoyo pointed at the stairs, but Kurogane shook his head.

"No, can't, still have to file a missing property report for Fai."

"Get in bed, I'll do it," Tomoyo said, and crossed her arms, speaking sternly with her 'big sister' voice, even though she was younger than him. "I'll call Amaterasu, just you watch."

"God, no, anything but that! One of you is enough, I don't need to deal with your sister." Kurogane shook his head again. "Fuck, this is such a mess."

"Get some sleep, and I'll send in the report for you, and send out a notice on the usual boards. And when you wake up, call Kero, and you can tell me what happened." Tomoyo was already pulling on her shoes - it was clear that she wasn't taking 'no' for an answer.

"I'm just tired enough to take you up on that." Kurogane pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. "Damn it. Fuck, I _feel_ like death warmed over."

"Go to bed," Tomoyo ordered, standing with her hand on the doorknob. Only when Kurogane started up the stairs did she leave, the door closing with a soft 'click' behind her.

Kurogane stumbled up his steps, clumsy from sheer stress and tiredness, and barely made it to bed. He fell onto it and rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. Sakura was mostly fixed, she was just downloading her memory files and resetting her internal clock and calendar to make up for the missing day. Syaoran was hooked up as well, so no doubt he was helping to fill in the blanks. They probably wouldn't be done for several hours.

It had been the coming home after an hour of looking that had started the rebooting process off on a sour note. Kurogane had come home to Syaoran on the barest of power reserves, barely 'awake', clearly distressed, trying to fix Sakura only to stumble across corrupted data that had spread to his own systems. He kept on working, despite the fact that some of his nonessential files were dragging him down and leeching his energy. After shutting him down, Kurogane had started the long process of diagnosing errors, deleting them, erasing corrupted data, and finding the proper files to replace them. Syaoran had been finished first, as only the third-party corruptee.

In the end, that all left him alone for several hours. Sakura and Syaoran were just androids, but without them functioning, he felt…alone. He'd gotten used to them in place of people. He was used to hearing them talk, talking to them, hearing them work, everything. Now it was all quiet. They ran quiet and ran cool, so he couldn't even hear the computers working downstairs. He knew that they were downloading, but it seemed as if it wasn't really happening when he couldn't hear it. He couldn't stand silence.

"Damn it," he whispered and pulled his blankets over his head.

His hands itched to do something. Anything. For a keyboard, for his old kendo swords, anything would do. He hated this laying around and doing nothing but waiting while Fai was out there getting into who knew how much trouble. Fai seemed so innocent and he was so unsure of himself, Kurogane had picked that up with ease. So much could happen out there with no one watching him.

What if it rained? The android would be back the way Kurogane had found him - pathetic and soaked to the bone. No, not bone, metal skeleton, Kurogane corrected himself, and the shirt he'd been wearing didn't look like it would help at all in the rain. The seams on his fingers from the skin repair could come undone in the humidity, Kurogane had seen it happen before. Then his arm would short out again, and Kurogane wouldn't be there to fix it.

What if someone found him? If Kurogane had any luck at all, that would be what happened, and the person who see the report and Fai would be returned to Kurogane. If Kurogane only had a little luck, then the person wouldn't look for a report. They'd just look at his build, and sell him for scraps and as a husk, or…

Kurogane sat up, frowning.

Or Fai would be sold to an android den. The idea made his stomach turn. People touching Fai, using Fai for those purposes, over and over and not caring about him, just how he looked, it all made Kurogane feel ill. It wasn't as if those kinds of people would see if he was stolen or report missing property, not if they were going to an android den. No, those people didn't do things like that. They avoided dealing with the police as much as possible.

Even if neither of those things happened, what if he got lost? Hopefully he'd go to a police station and they'd call Kurogane, but, well, Fai didn't have any [I]sense[/I]. His thoughts were nonsensical, nonlinear, going from one thing to another and then switching back and hopping to something new all in the same sentence. It made no sense for an android to have thoughts like that, none at all. It had driven Kurogane crazy before, but now all he wanted was to try to figure out why the android thought this or that. He wanted to hear that ridiculous speech pattern.

'Fai' this and 'Fai' that didn't sound near as bad now.

There was nothing he could do about it now, Kurogane decided with a frown and fell back. "Fuck," he muttered, covering his eyes. He'd fallen asleep at one point, he guessed, but it seemed like only the blink of an eye. "Syaoran? Sakura?" He asked, drowsily, as he sat up, feeling a dip in the bed.

Sakura and Syaoran were curled up on the bed at his side, looking up at him.

"Sakura's all better," Syaoran said, quietly. "But there's something weird."

"There's a new program behind firewalls that we can't break." Sakura was just as quiet. "Syaoran has it too."

"We'll make Fai take care of it when he gets back, since it's probably his doing," Kurogane muttered, settling back down and closing his eyes. There was a little bit of relief. They were okay. Great. Now all he needed was Fai back and everything would be perfect.

"Will Fai be okay?" Sakura asked, worriedly. "He's all alone out there…"

"We'll get him back." Kurogane rubbed at his eyes. "You two just….rest up. Your systems don't need to run completely. Not right now."

"Goodnight," they both said, going quiet after that and leaving a slightly calmer Kurogane alone with his thoughts.

Fai went home with him before, a total stranger. Would he just do the same now, with another stranger, even though Kurogane was listed as an owner? They'd at least gotten that done, and unless anyone else knew Fai's password they couldn't change that. That was some comfort, but not much. It was still possible that they could manually shut him down, force him to go with them.

"God," he muttered, and glanced at the clock. Almost noon. Five hours of sleep wasn't bad, but he wasn't about to turn up his nose up at more. With a sigh and some practice breathing, he forced himself back asleep.

* * *

He woke up to the smell and sound of something cooking downstairs. Syaoran and Sakura were gone, he noted when he sat up. He glanced at the clock as he got up, running his fingers through his hair as he left his room, making his way downstairs. "What're you doing here?" He asked, squinting at the kitchen.

"I filed a report, and then decided that I would cook you dinner," Tomoyo said. "So Sakura, Syaoran, and I got busy! Besides, you didn't call me, so I figured I would come and hear for myself."

Kurogane just grunted as Syaoran and Sakura were cutting things on the counter. "Don't want to tell. Any news?"

"No, but the report is filed, like I said," Tomoyo said, flipping something over in a pan. "I had Kero take a look at these two."

"And?" Kurogane asked as Kero climbed up his pants and shirt to sit on his shoulder.

"Tall wall!" Kero said, wings twitching. "Super tall! Mokona-program and I couldn't even scratch it. So, we went over it. I tried to look over the edge, and I could see a little."

"Tell him what you saw," Tomoyo said, nodding.

"I saw Sakura, but it wasn't Sakura." Kero nodded. "So I said 'hello!' and the Sakura smiled and said 'hello, but it's not time to say hello yet. Sorry', and then I was booted out of the system." Kero nodded.

"Oh yeah, that's such a big help." Kurogane rolled his eyes. "Some virus is in there and identifying as her, that just makes it easier for them to move in."

"It's that way in Syaoran too!" Kero said, before sliding down Kurogane's arm and hopping to the table.

"Kero isn't much of a challenge, and he's made for just looking, so he hardly ever gets noticed." Tomoyo smiled. "He's our super secret investigation weapon!"

"Investigation!" Kero echoed, striking a pose.

"Anyways, do you want to try to break the firewalls? Or-" Tomoyo started, but Kurogane stopped her.

"No. I've had enough of trying to break firewalls for awhile," Kurogane stated, dryly. "Fai must have done it, so when he comes back, he'll take care of it. …Why are you smiling?"

"You said 'when', not 'if'." Tomoyo smiled. "You're really confident that he'll be back, aren't you?"

Kurogane stared at her, then closed his eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched upward, but disappeared within a moment. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Of course! I helped, after all!"

* * *

The next day, Kurogane called in sick again, not quite ready to give up his own search. He checked the usual boards, but no one had found anything, just wished Kurogane luck or said that they'd keep an eye out. The gnawing feeling of unease and worry continued to grow in his belly. The fear of hearing of Fai in an android den grew just as quickly, scratching endlessly at the back of his mind.

Could he stomach going around to them if he had to? No, he didn't think he could.

"Master, I can't explain it," Sakura said, tugging on Kurogane's sleeve in the middle of the store when they all left to go shopping, "but I feel…I feel concerned. It almost hurts."

"I feel it too," Syaoran admitted.

"That's because you're both…kind." Kurogane shook his head. "It's normal, it's just your programming. Happened before. Remember the first time I went to work at Celes? You two called me twice on my cellphone."

"It's worse than that, though," Syaoran said, grip on the basket tightening. "What if…what if he doesn't come back?"

"He will," Kurogane said, simply. "Because he has the two of you to come back to, right?" When they just nodded weakly, he sighed. For once, he'd have to be the hopeful and cheery one, it seemed. "Okay, let's get some party supplies, and when he comes back , he'll throw a little party, how's that sound?"

"A party?" Syaoran said, innocently.

"A party!" Sakura echoed, jumping up in the air. "And then he'll never run away again! We'll have fun! Right Syaoran?" She looked at Syaoran and, as usual, he blindly went along with whatever she said, nodding enthusiastically.

Friday at work, most people accepted that it was simply a forty eight hour bug, that Kurogane was much better now (if still a bit slow), and that all their hard work at programming was starting to come to an end. In reality, the entire situation was cheerful to them. They'd go back to their usual jobs in programming in half-baked programs and applications once the fighter android prototype was finished. Since all that was left was the finishing touches on the body, making sure it ran smoothly, and the final test runs, that day was fast approaching.

To Kurogane it made the day all the more bleak. He wasn't one for sitting at a desk all day, so once his contract was over here on this project, what would he do? The thoughts of work gave him something to blame his mood on. It was just that his job was ending. That was it.

Kurogane let out a tense laugh as he put the finishing touches on their first prototype of the new fighter android, and a few people stared. Kurogane never smiled, much less _laughed_. Kurogane ignored them as he tested the range of the motion of the android's joints, getting lost in thought.

No, it wasn't about the job at all. That wasn't the reason for this mood. It was all Fai. All he could think about was Fai. What he was doing, where he was, would he make it home okay in the end, was he doing something stupid, was he doing something smart. The missing android was distracting from afar. The thoughts ran through his mind on repeat, and he finally gave up and gave in.

"I'm going to lunch," he announced, grabbing the sandwich from his jacket by the door. Some just called out an affirmative (and then there was a small crash in the corner of the room and some yelling), but Kurogane didn't bother to stop to see what it was before leaving. He stood in the hall a moment before deciding on a direction. Just down the hall was a small sitting area with windows. It seemed the obvious place.

He leaned out the window as he ate his lunch, watching the dark clouds in the sky, forcing his mind to stop running away from his worries, stop blaming it on his work.. He'd thought about the worries, sure, but it had still been at a mental walk to avoid thinking about them completely.

It was simple, once he sat about it. He felt uneasy. Of course he did, he was worried about Fai. No, not worried, concerned, he corrected himself. Concern was much more formal. Much more distant. He took a bite of his sandwich and repeated to himself , tried to convince himself, that he was concerned instead of worried. He failed. Fine, he was _worried_. But it was just a concern for property, right?

He let out a little curse when he bit the inside of his cheek, looked up at the grey, overcast sky. Was there more to it? He growled a little at the thought that maybe, just maybe, Tomoyo was right. That maybe he was too close to the situation, and so he couldn't see the obvious answer, whatever the obvious answer was.

He narrowed his eyes at the sky. She couldn't mean….something like _that_, could she?

He scoffed and stared down at his sandwich, suddenly not very hungry.

"It's starting to rain," a voice said from behind him, and Kurogane didn't have to turn to know that it was Ashura.

"Yeah, weather report said it's going to be stormy tonight," Kurogane said, casually, as if he wasn't thinking about Fai in the slightest. "Not good prospects for a weekend."

Ashura just smiled as the soft pitter-patter of rain started to grow. "You're almost done with all the programming, correct?"

"We had a few errors, but they should be fixed. The prototype is ready for trials." Kurogane frowned as the sky suddenly opened. The light sprinkling turned into a downpour. "Rain." Just like then, it was coming with a vengeance. Kurogane was glad that they had all done the shopping the day before. There was no way he was going to let Sakura and Syaoran go out in this.

"I'm glad to hear that. You're ahead of schedule." Ashura was quiet a moment. "Well, why don't you go early today, then?"

"Huh?" Kurogane looked back at Ashura. "Not that there's much I can do here, but…why?"

"Because it seems that someone is waiting for you early."

Kurogane followed Ashura's nod out the window, and dropped his sandwhich, gripping the windowsill as he leaned out. "_Fai!_"

The android was standing in the parking lot and looking up at him. From the second story, Kurogane could see Fai's smile, even as the android was getting soaked. Kurogane stepped back from the window and was racing down the hall to the stairs with Ashura's call to 'have a good weekend!' echoing after him. He barely had the mind to lean into the workroom to grab his coat and call out a 'I'm leaving' to the others before hurrying down the steps. He pulled on his jacket as he walked, straightening it as he crossed the lobby.

"Fai!" He yelled as he opened the doors, stepping outside into the torrent of rain. He grabbed the android by the shoulders. "Where the hell have you been?"


	6. Chapter 6

_The responses seem pretty positive to me writing another Sci-Fi fic, so when Less than Human is finished, I'll start in with that one! :3 I guess it really isn't like I, Robot in the end, but there are just a couple of things in the fic that were inspired by it. Okay, now onto the actual chapter, after that little cliffhanger. Oh ho. Next update is on the 20th, stay tuned then!_

_Sorry for all the errors in the last one (and probably this one!). I really need to stop writing from 10-1. The weirdest things come up. A  
_

_Fai and Kuro both seem a bit off character in this chapter, things seem a bit rushed and the chapter seems a bit flat…but aah, what am I going to do, sorry everyone! The ending is my favorite part though, there's something about pointless cursing that makes me giggle._

_Thanks to my beta~_

_True Despair - Watch, I'll be known as the 'KuroFai Sci-fi fic writer' after these two fics, ha ha ha. Like I said, I'll start when Less Than Human is finished. :3_

_To. Touch. The. Sky - I'm glad the details are good! I've been a little worried that things that need to be clear aren't, though I didn't put much effort into describing, for example, Kuro's house. A ha ha._

* * *

"Fai!" Kurogane yelled as he opened the doors, stepping outside into the torrent of rain. He grabbed the android by the shoulders. "Where the hell have you been?"

Fai bowed his head, shoulders tensing under Kurogane's hands before he jerked back and away. He took a few steps, just out of arms reach, and held out a thick envelope. "Please…take this!" Fai said, eyes hidden under damp hair. His shirt and jeans clung to him as he held the envelope out. He made no other movements besides a gentle shake of his limbs. Were the cords of his muscle imitators malfunctioning? Kurogane frowned.

"I'll play along," Kurogane muttered as it took the envelope. As soon as he did, Fai pulled his hands to himself, clenching the fabric of his shirt. Kurogane pulled back the flap of the envelope and looked in. He stared a moment, then pulled out several large bills, staring at them in his hands.

"There's…there's enough there to fix Sakura, right?" Fai asked, voice unsure and unconfident. "It's my fault that she broke, so I couldn't come back until I was able to help fix her. I guessed, so if it's not enough, I can-"

"You idiot," Kurogane said, stuffing the envelope and money into his pocket before reaching out towards Fai. Fai shied away, taking another step back. Kurogane countered with a step forward, and swung his arm out, giving Fai a tap on the top of the head with his fist. "I had all Sakura's data backed up, she hardly lost anything. I didn't have to take her anywhere to get her fixed."

"Kuro-"

"Fai-" Kurogane interrupted, but Fai interrupted him in turn.

"I want to account for my mistakes!" Fai yelled, over the rain. "But I can't all the time, so when I can, I would like to…."

"You don't have to explain anything if you don't want to," Kurogane said simply. "But if you want to say something, look me in the eye." Kurogane waited, twitching as rain started to trail down his neck and into his shirt. When Fai finally lifted his face, Kurogane tensed and reached up, brushing hair out of Fai's eyes. "The hell," Kurogane muttered, staring at Fai's face. His left eye was surrounded by blue and blue, and Kurogane traced the edge with a finger. "This is a bruise, but…how?"

Fai took Kurogane's hand and pressed it to his cheek, pressing against it. "I don't know. I told you before, I can't tell what I don't know. But I do know that I missed you."

"…Your vocal pattern isn't like before." Kurogane didn't bother to try to take his hand back. In fact, he pressed it firmer against Fai's cheek, feeling the warm that came from under Fai's skin. It came deeper than humans, as it feeling through a glove, but it was still there, still warm against his palm.

"It was fixed when you tried to _hack_ me. " Fai glared up at Kurogane.

Kurogane avoided the topic with a, "lets get you home."

"Home….I'd like that." Fai closed his eyes and let Kurogane's hand go. He blinked when Kurogane's hand rested on his shoulders, pulling him closer. "Kuro?" He looked up at Kurogane.

"If I keep ahold of you…you won't run away again, I won't let you." Kurogane kept his eyes ahead as they walked, and Fai stared.

"Oh Kuro…"

"Don't get the wrong idea!" Kurogane said quickly. "This is for Sakura and Syaoran. They're both worried sick." His grip tightened on Fai's shoulder. "How did you get that money?"

"I did what I was built for." Fai was quiet, as if ashamed. Kurogane gritted his teeth. There was something wrong about that on more than one level. The act itself, being used like that, was wrong. And then Fai's voice, his body language, hinted at being ashamed. It was so wrong. So, so wrong. His hand tightened on Fai's shoulder. He _hated_ seeing the android like this. He wanted to protect him.

"I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do." Kurogane said, suddenly. "And if there's something you want to do, then do it. Damn the consequences."

"That's a pretty weird thing to say to an android," Fai said, quietly.

"You're a pretty weird android." Kurogane's free hand reached over and brushed against the bruise-like coloring. "I've never even seen something like this, and Celes Corp is pretty advanced." He paused when Fai stumbled. "How are you power levels?"

"Five percent," Fai said, but his voice didn't have the echoing, hollow quality most androids had when reporting things. It was his own voice, casually speaking. "Just enough to get home."

"Just enough," Kurogane echoed in a mutter, hurrying their pace slightly.

They were, of course, soaked the bone by the time they stumbled inside.

"Master?" Sakura's voice came from upstairs. "It's only noon, why are you-" she paused halfway down the stairs, standing still on the step as the two stood there, dripping, then let out a squeal. "Fai is back!"

"Fai is back?" Came Syaoran's distant question.

"You all can say hello later, Fai needs a plug in ASAP," Kurogane said, pulling off his jacket. "And dry clothes. Plug in first. Syaoran! Get a towel and some dry clothes for Fai!"

"We missed you!" Sakura said, hopping down the steps and pulling the taller blond android into a hug before leading him off enthusiastically. Kurogane watched them go before making his way upstairs to his bedroom. He peeled off his water-soaked layers and tossed them aside before starting to dig through his closet for dry clothes. Before he could pull any out, Syaoran came in with a small bundle, holding it out.

"These are fresh from the dryer," Syaoran said as Kurogane took the shirt and pants. Sweet, blessedly warm.

"Good," Kurogane said, pulling the clothes on and sighing at the warmth. "Something warm sounds good. Kitchen." Syaoran led the way out of the room, down the stairs, and to the other room, immediately moving to the kitchen and starting to work. Fai was in the corner, wrapped in a blanket and new clothes, hooked up to the wall, eyes closed. Sakura was wrapped in the blanket with him, smiling.

"Even though Fai is offline, he seems to be running minimal systems," Sakura said, smiling at Kurogane when he sat on the couch. "Are you calling Tomoyo?"

"Yeah," Kurogane grunted, opening his cellphone and flipping through the numbers until he reached Tomoyo's. He pressed call and turned on speaker phone, hooking the phone through the collar of his shirt as it rang. After a few rings, Tomoyo picked up.

"Kurogane? Is something wrong?"

"Well, nice to talk to you too, Tomoyo." Kurogane scoffed. "I thought you might want to know that Fai came back."

"That's great news! Fantastic! Are you going to-"

"Tomoyo, I need to ask you something." He was all business now, had to keep going and get answers while his adrenaline still ran.

Tomoyo was quiet a moment on the other side of the line. "You sound serious. What is it?"

"And you need to answer honestly. Have you ever heard of anything, _anything_ in an android that simulated bruising?" Kurogane frowned when there was silence. He counted the seconds. "You're being quiet for too long. So there is something."

"It's still in the designing stages. No, not even that far, they're still only talking about it. But how could you-"

"What's it for?" Kurogane looked up at Syaoran when a mug was shoved in his face. He took it and sipped at it. Hot chocolate? A bit too sweet for his tastes. Whatever, it was warm, what did it matter what it was? He wasn't about to be picky.

"The line of thought is that it would work when an android has suffered damage to it's metal skeleton or muscle imitator cords and it needs repairing. But it's not even on the drawing board yet. They're still trying to figure out how to make it, what to make it from, how to use it, all that stuff. They've been thinking of trying a water coolant system, but we've seen how those work." There was a pause. "But Kurogane, what's all this about?"

Kurogane kept his eyes on Fai. "Nothing really. I was just watching some TV and I had a weird thought."

"But you sound so serious-"

"Have a good weekend, Tomoyo."

"You're not even going to invite me over?"

"Nope." Kurogane pulled his phone off the collar of his shirt, and looked at it. "I'm going to keep Fai all to myself for now." With that, without waiting for a reply, he snapped the phone shut. He tossed it on the coffee table, sat back with his chocolate (sweet as it was) and reached for the television's remote control.

When all the hot chocolate was gone, and nothing was on television, he drifted off, laying across the couch.

Kurogane stirred when the remote slipped from his hands and fell to the floor. When he yawned and stretched, a quiet voice made him turn his head.

"Are you awake, Kuro?"

Kurogane folded one arm under his head as he slunk down farther on the couch, watching Fai. "Yeah. I'm awake. Shouldn't you be asleep?" He squinted when he spotted Syaoran and Sakura on either side of him, curled up to his sides under the blanket.

"Nonessentials aren't on," Fai said, smiling.

"You're popular." Kurogane gestured at the other two androids, and Fai let out a quiet little laugh.

"I suppose so." Fai lifted his hands, ruffling their hair.

"…I really don't like that bruise. Can we do anything about it?"

"It'll be gone in a few days." Fai kept on smiling when Kurogane just made a confused face. "It isn't my first bruise." He reached up to the back of his neck and unplugged himself. Somehow he untangled himself from Sakura and Syoaran and stood, tucking the two androids in together.

"What time is it?" Kurogane watched him, raising an eyebrow.

"Four. They're getting updates from Celes Corp." Fai patted their heads and straightened, walking over to the couch. "Companion-builds need touch," he stated, smile vanishing.

Kurogane sighed and closed his eyes. "Come on."

Fai put a knee on the edge of the couch, watching Kurogane's face as he moved to lay down across him. Every few moments he froze, as if ready to bolt, but when Kurogane didn't say anything, he just laid down, tucking his head under Kurogane's chin. "I had a dream."

"Androids don't dream," Kurogane said, simply.

"I do," Fai said, closing his eyes. "I've had dreams plenty. When I go into sleep mode, I dream."

Kurogane sighed, quiet for a bit. "What do you dream about?"

"I dream of the me-that-isn't-me. He calls himself Yui." Fai buried his face against Kurogane's chest, clinging to his shirt.

'_I missed this,'_ Kurogane thought, opening his eyes and staring at the ceiling. '_I don't know why, but I did.'_ Maybe it did just come down to him being lonely. How many times had Tomoyo told him that he needed to get out? People were social animals, from the beginning of time. They ran in packs, in cliques, in groups. No matter the terminology, that was how humans ran. Yet, all Kurogane had were Sakura and Syaoran, and Tomoyo on the mornings that she stopped by. Was Fai just special? He shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. No, he would have had the same response if Sakura or Syaoran had disappeared, right?

Still, he forced himself to the then and there. Dreams. Androids didn't dream. It sounded like something from…Kurogane chuckled, suddenly, and when he looked down, Fai was staring at him, seeming confused.

"What?" Fai asked.

"Nothing. It's just an old theory that's been disproven."

"What theory?" Fai lifted his head a little more.

"They call it the ghost program. It's just an urban legend. Nevermind. What happens with Yui in these dreams?" Kurogane lifted a hand, patting Fai's head. When Fai laid his head back down, he idly stroked the blond strands. He stopped when he realized what he was doing, and just rested his hand on the back of Fai's shoulders.

"He tells me things. Good things, and bad things. He sounds lonely, but he says that when I'm there, he doesn't feel as lonely." Fai nodded.

"Where is 'there'?"

"It's like….a dungeon." Fai frowned. "I don't like it there. He says that there's a tower above it. It seems like a familiar place, but I can't remember."

"You don't remember much, do you?"

"I remember plenty." Fai lifted himself up and moved up, hovering over Kurogane. "And I know plenty, too. I can't think of any variables in coding that would make me like you this much, Kuro." The last part was quiet, as if a secret, whispered.

"Most companion-builds are programmed to like whoever they identify as their master." Kurogane narrowed his eyes. He had to justify what Fai was saying, or there'd be no going back. He would be as filthy as those people who just used their androids - used them and then threw them away.

"You weren't my master until a week after you found me," Fai countered. "I didn't identify you as 'master', I identified you as 'Kuro.' Right now 'master' is just a formality. I haven't called you 'master' since then, have I?" Before he could answer, Fai snapped a "no." The android crossed his arms, almost pouting. "Yui told me in a dream that this kind of thing translates as 'love' to humans."

"There's all kinds of love." Kurogane shook his head. "But I don't think I've ever heard an android say something like that of their own free will. Free will in androids too, that's a joke."

"I have free will." Fai frowned. "I can lie. I can fail. I can do and say things that other androids can't."

Kurogane reached up and grabbed Fai's collar, jerking him down closer. "Then I'm giving you an order right now. Don't kiss me."

"You don't mean that," Fai said, with a little laugh. He lowered his head and pressed his lips against Kurogane's in a chaste kiss. It was a peck, really, and Fai pulled back after a moment. "I can disobey your orders."

"Then don't kiss me again," Kurogane muttered. "If you can even call that was a kiss."

Fai gripped Kurogane's shirt as he pressed their lips together again. Kurogane let go of Fai's shirt and let his hand fall to his side. Fai kept the kiss short and closed mouth, surprising for a companionship-build.

Kurogane's hand tightened into a fist. This android, this oh-so-human android, this enigma, was his.

But maybe he was Fai's too.

God, he sounded like some love-struck _woman_.

But wasn't that just in the human spirit to fall? _'There's a reason they call it _falling_ in love, Kurogane_', his mother had said once, before she and Kurogane's father had died. _'It happens quickly, and you can't catch yourself without getting hurt. But if you're lucky, you won't have to catch yourself - the person that you're in love with will catch you, and you'll both be okay, or you'll both get hurt. Either way, you'll be together, even if just for awhile.'_

Fai pulled back and lifted a hand to his lips. He pressed his lips to the back of his hand, eyes closed. "I'm afraid," he mumbled against it.

"Of?"

"That you won't like me. Because…Because I'm a liar…and I can fail. I'm the kind of person that you hate. The only difference is that I'm an android, and not human." When Fai opened his eyes and looked at Kurogane, something stabbed at Kurogane's heart. When Fai got up and left the room, the stabbing continued on as a distant throb.

"I'm beginning to think I can overlook that," Kurogane said to no one, staring at the ceiling before flopping an arm over his eyes. "…Fuck." He gripped at his shirt, over his heart. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck."


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: I apologize in advance if next week's Monday or Thursday update is late (or early, but I bet you guys wouldn't mind early, ha haha). Long story short, I'll be mom sitting. Cross your fingers and hope that the internet gets set up at her place in time! Also, I've started a live journal that'll be my life stuff, fics, fanart, other arts, and things like that, so if you have a LJ add me, and if you want to stalk me…lawlz, go ahead. Either way, I'd be more than glad to make some new friends! Information is on my main page. Also - the story's rating has been changed to Teen. I had it as mature as a preemptive measure, but it looks like these two aren't getting jiggy with it anytime soon, if you know what I mean…So there's no need for it to be mature. I'll change it back if they do get that far. _

_Warning for some ooc-ness, most likely!_

_Thanks to my beta, who's continued to be a great beat despite all the craaaazy stuff going on in her life._

_Reader responses! You guys were so great this time around! Thanks muchly!_

_Irene Gerke - I've been meaning to get myself to the bookstore. I'll have to look it up and see if I can find a copy, or peek around on the internet. Thanks for the recommendation, and I'm glad you liked the chapter!_

_Rahar Moonfire - It would have happened sooner but someone (Kuro!) is just too stubborn for his own good here. Ha ha ha._

_ZELLT - It wasn't flat out said, but Fai was probably going around a being a little bit of a hooker. I hope that answers how he got the money, ha ha ha._

_1337kitsune - a ha ha, you wrote me an essay of a review, but I love it! First, feel free to call me Sophy-chan, ha ha. I fear it may come around that I'll end up the KuroFai Sci-Fi girl…and I'm okay with that. Ha ha ha. Aaah, but let's not start in the middle of replying to your review, back to the top! There will be more tower/valley references as the story goes on, I'll say that much. And I love the reasoning behind 'falling in love' in that context, it's just….romantic. Party will come eventually. And yes! The clones! No one else mentioned it, but that's the basic idea, tough how it's executed eventually might surprise you. I love using all kinds of aspects from the series - it's like an Easter egg hunt~ Yukito is mentioned in this chapter, and I think Touya/Toya was mentioned in chapter one or two. I think he sent Kurogane an e-mail, I'd have to check. Thanks for the crazy long review, I loved it! Ha ha ha-_

_Turtle's Chopsticks - Aaah, I feel so honored to hear all that! Seriously, your entire review makes me smile like the Grinch. Ha ha ha. The KuroFai slows down from here on out, no worries that they're being rushed. Also - ha ha…Time traveling, makes me think of Tsubasa crew on the TARDIS. But no - the bruising (and more!) will be explained in the chapters to come._

* * *

By the next day, it was if nothing had ever happened. Unfortunately for Kurogane, that meant that Fai woke him up, but at least it wasn't at seven in the morning.

"It's nine," Fai announced, laying across Kurogane's chest as the man stirred. "And it's Saturday. What're you going to do?"

"Don't know," Kurogane said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Get off me."

"You don't mean that," Fai said, smiling and still snuggling. When Kurogane didn't move to get up, just closed his eyes, Fai let out a little laugh.

"I'm going back to sleep," Kurogane muttered, letting out a loud breath, only to curse loudly and sit up when he felt a pain on his shoulder. He pulled at the collar of his shirt, feeling at his neck as Fai jumped up and ran out of the room, laughing. "The hell? _You bit me!_"

"Well, it got you up!" Fai called, peering in from around the doorframe. "I must be a vampire!" He waved his hands in the air before disappearing and making his way down the stairs noisily.

Kurogane growled and got up, going to his bathroom and looking at his neck in the mirror. Bright, angry teeth marks. Right over his jugular. He stomped out, and down the stairs.

"Fai, I swear I'm going to dismantle you - Don't let him cook!"

"Too late!" The other two androids said in unison.

"Damn it. At the least keep the knives away from him." Kurogane stared into the kitchen as Syaoran demonstrated how to flip pancakes. Fai must have had some kind of learning program, Kurogane decided, when Fai mimed the motion. Or maybe he was stupid, Kurogane decided just as quickly when Fai's first effort earned him a pancake stuck to the kitchen ceiling and three androids stared at it.

It was just odd, Kurogane thought in the end, going to get his laptop. He grabbed it from the computer room and came back with it. "Fai, come here." Kurogane sat down on the couch and opened his laptop. He opened the disk tray and dropped a CD in, closing it as Fai plopped down next to him. The android's head flopped onto his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around Kurogane's. He let out a happy sigh as he snuggled up. Kurogane ignored him, to a point.

"Kuro?" Fai asked, watching the screen.

"How much free room do you have on your hard drive?"

"Some." Fai shrugged. "I don't really know."

"I want to put some basic programs on. Same basics as Sakura and Syaoran." Kurogane typed into the computer, passwords and codes to reach the programs. "Cooking, since you seem to insist, basic household stuff."

"I've been meaning to ask about them," Fai said. "What's with them? Why did you make them like that? Looks and such." He closed his eyes.

"Why did someone make you the way you are?" Kurogane countered.

"I asked first, Kuro!" Fai laughed.

"Whatever. Read this code and add the program, I don't trust you with my laptop in a lined connection." Kurogane motioned at the screen as white-on-black text appeared.

"I could be your laptop," Fai said, grinning as his eyes scanning over the code. He scrolled down even as he spoke, taking it all in. "You didn't answer my question."

"It's not important." Kurogane repeated. He kept his eyes on the code, watching Fai's progress in reading.

"Done!" Fai announced, and Kurogane pulled up the next document of code. "Hey hey, Kuro-"

"You know, I've heard you use my full name. And you use Sakura and Syaoran's full names, right?" Kurogane watched again as Fai read the code, scrolling down at an amazing speed. Clearly, he did have a learning program, and his processing speed was…incredible. Easily double Sakura or Syaoran's, or even Tomoyo's Yukito who was built for household and small business financing and practically devoured code and numbers. He hadn't seemed like Tomoyo's 'type' of android, but she insisted that Kero and Yukito were, simply, a perfect set.

"Kuro is more fun to say," Fai stated. Without being asked he moved onto the next file when he was finished. "What would you do if they changed?"

"They won't change," Kurogane said.

"Everyone changes." Fai's speed seemed to be ever increasing, pupils contracting and dilating.

"They're not everyone. They're androids." Kurogane yawned, then stopped when Fai turned and looked at him. "What?"

"What am I?" Fai asked, with a serious, honest gaze.

"You're insecure." Kurogane narrowed his eyes.

"What am I?" Fai repeated, leaning forward, sounding almost offended. "To you. What am I, Kurogane? Am I just an android?" His eyes narrowed. For a moment he looked almost dangerous. His stare kept Kurogane from speaking, from _thinking_, until Sakura and Syaoran called from the kitchen.

"Breakfast!" They announced, and Fai and Kurogane both looked over.

"It's closer to lunch, you know," Kurogane grumbled, half-heartedly, then shook his head. "Damn it, I give up, I don't care." He sighed, then stared when all three androids laughed.

"Isn't that just like Kuro?" Fai asked, cheerfully teasing, and the other two nodded.

"But usually so stubborn," Syaoran said, and Sakura giggled.

"...Who are you three, and what have you done with my androids?" Kurogane asked, staring at them. They were all acting oddly. He leaned away when Fai leaned towards him, smiling that dark, mysterious smile from before.

"_Everyone_ changes," Fai said softly, then clapped Kurogane on the shoulder, hard. "Go eat up Kuro! I am going to try out these new programs!" He stood and cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Sakura! Syaoran! Let's make Kuro a cake!"

"_I don't want a cake_!" Kurogane yelled, but they all ignored him.

Halfway through making the batter, Syaoran froze up, and almost dropped the egg he was holding. "Incoming call. Caller, Ashura Celes. Would you like to accept?"

Kurogane looked up, raising an eyebrow. "…Sure," he said, after a moment. While it was Syaoran's lips that moved, it was Ashura's voice that came out.

"Kurogane?"

"Ashura." Kurogane hesitated a moment. "Did something happen to the prototype?"

"Oh, actually, it blew two joints, but that wasn't what I was calling about. That can wait until Monday." There was an amused laugh. "Actually, I have a proposition for you. It concerns your android. Fai, was it?"

From the corner of his eyes, Kurogane saw Fai freeze, looking over, staring at Syaoran. "That's right, what about him?"

"We just designed some new hacking software for our military contracts. They're quite strong, but I thought, perhaps, we should put them to the test. You mentioned he had firewalls. I was thinking, if you hadn't already broken through Fai's firewalls, it would be an interesting test. With your permission, of course."

Kurogane narrowed his eyes. For a moment, it almost seemed too easy, but he shrugged after a moment and looked back at Fai. It was all too easy. He tried to tell himself it was just an opportunity. He wasn't buying it. "…Fai?"

Fai broke his stare at Syaoran to look at Kurogane. "...If it's what you want, Kuro," he said softly, after a few moments. "After all, I'm just an android, as you keep insisting. Your _property_." He looked back at the bowl and started to stir, almost violently.

Kurogane narrowed his eyes again, and looked back at Syaoran. "Alright."

"Excellent. Why don't you bring him in tomorrow?" Ashura sounded pleased.

"Tomorrow?" Kurogane glanced at Fai. The android seemed to focusing on the cake batter, intently. "Alright, that's no problem."

"Wonderful, I'll see you both at noon. It shouldn't take longer than a few hours. Thank you for the opportunity." Syaoran's pupils shifted as the call ended abruptly, and he shook his head, voice returning to his own. "Call ended."

"Fai," Kurogane said, but the android didn't look up. "Fai. …_Fai_."

"I'll go," Fai said simply, holding up the mixing bowl while Sakura scraped the batter that clung to the insides with a spoon. "Because it's something you wish of me." The android didn't take his eyes off the cake batter.

* * *

"I don't see why you had to wear my old college hoodie," Kurogane muttered as they walked into the near-empty Celes building. Fai just laughed, only slightly swimming in the large zip up, hands hidden in the sleeves.

"I don't see why you have to be so big," Fai countered, grinning. "I'm much slimmer than you, so this is comfortable. That's why I like wearing it!" Fai lifted the collar of the hoodie over his nose, leaving only his eyes uncovered as Kurogane steered him over to the elevators. "Besides, it smells like you. You have a comforting scent."

"That's something an idiot would say," Kurogane muttered, pushing the 'up' button.

"Then I guess I'm an idiot," Fai said, looking around. "So, this is where you work?"

"I work on the second floor-"

"Kurogane! What are you doing here?" Tomoyo said from the lobby's front doors. She had a large roll of fabric in one arm. "I, of course, am here on business. The material we used in the last android's uniform wasn't quite sturdy enough, so I went and got some more." She gestured to the fabric as she stepped into the elevator after them.

"Ashura called me, asked me to bring in Fai to try a new program." Kurogane shrugged. "Firewall breaking-"

"Ah, the military contracts!" Tomoyo laughed and looked at Fai. "Fai, how are you today?"

"Quite well, thank you," Fai said, smiling. When Tomoyo turned back to speak to Kurogane, Fai turned his head, gazing at his reflection in the side the elevator. He felt the program activate, flowing through him as his vision went black and white and the only thing in color was the other him in his reflection.

"Fai should not be here," Yui said. They both raised their hands, pressing them together through the reflection. "_He_ will get his hands on Fai again. _He_ has already interfered."

"I know." Fai watched Yui as he pulled back, as if in shock, though their hands remained together.

"Then, the barrier, holding Fai back-"

"Kurogane said the password. I am beginning to remember." Fai smiled when Yui frowned. "But I don't know everything yet. It's still cloudy."

"There is nothing holding Fai back but Fai's self. Remember that." Yui seemed to come through the elevator wall, the reflective surface seeming to ripple like water's surface, and pressed his forehead against Fai's, before turning and looking at Kurogane's back. "He is special?"

"Very special." Fai smiled and closed his eyes, pressing a hand to his chest. "But he can't know. Not yet-"

"Can't know what?"

Fai jumped as the image of Yui shattered. The shards fell and vanished as Fai turned, looking at Kurogane. "Kuro!"

"Can't know what?" Kurogane repeated. Tomoyo was gone, and he was stepping out of the elevator, holding the doors open with a hand. "You're talking to yourself."

Fai just laughed. "No, I was talking to my reflection!" He poked at the reflective wall before dancing out, smiling. He stopped midstep when Kurogane grabbed his arm.

"Don't lie to me."

"A little bit longer Kuro. A little bit longer." Fai looked over his shoulder, smiling. "And then you'll know."

"Know what-"

"Ah, you're both early," Ashura said, interrupting them. The man had his hair tied back and the sleeves of his workshirt were rolled up. There were a few splatters of dark android coolant on his fingertips. "I was just tuning an android," he explained, then gestured to an open door at the end of the hallway. "Please, follow me, we'll get started." Ashura turned, walking towards the room.

"…Fai," Kurogane said, when the android didn't move.

"Isn't this exciting, Kuro?" Fai asked, suddenly moving, looking up at Kurogane and smiling.

"Yeah, that's a word for it," Kurogane muttered, following after Ashura. Fai was right by his side.

The room wasn't too big, but it was clearly a diagnostics room. It was for full diagnostics, so there was just a chair-shaped robot hub in a corner, surrounded by machines and screens. Kurogane narrowed his eyes at the full-body scanner next to the chair - a long flat piece of metal surrounded by a tune of glass. On the opposite side of the room, behind a wall of thick and clear plastic, were the computers used for the actual working. Beside the computers was one of the odd, egg-shaped chairs, helmet hanging off the side, used for only the deepest procedures, when virtual hands were needed. Those needed experts, people who knew what to expect going in and were used to the physical strain.

"If it's okay, we'll start with a full body scan. It's common procedure at Celes," Ashura said, gesturing at the large tube. "I'll trust you to get him all set up, since you're his owner." Ashura smiled with an old, cool warmth, collected and all business as he started up the computers on the other side of the room.

"I recognize this place," Fai muttered as Kurogane led him over to the tube. Without a sound, the glass pulled back. Kurogane just raised an eyebrow as Fai unzipped the hoodie and took it off, holding it out to Kurogane with one hand.

Kurogane took the hoodie, watching as Far climbed in and laid down on the metal table. "Palms down," Kurogane said as the glass started to come back over the table.

"Kuro," Fai said, lifting a hand and pressing it against the inside of the glass. When Kurogane didn't move, Fai spoke again, almost desperately. "Kuro, please, don't leave."

"You're so clingy, what's wrong with you?" Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "You'll be fine-"

"Kurogane, it seems you have a telephone call," Ashura said. "I'll get started here…Why don't you go ahead and take it in my office? Line one."

"Fine," Kurogane called over his shoulder, before looking down at Fai. "I'll be right back."

"Kuro-" Fai started, but the scanner started up with a loud whir, drowning out whatever he was going to say.

"I'll be back," Kurogane said again, before turning. He tossed the hoodie aside, onto a chair at the computers, before leaving. Ashura's office was a short walk down the hall. Half way there the lights flickered all the way down the hall.

He'd only been there once before, when he'd been hired onto the project. It hadn't changed much. It were the same cool colors, mostly blues and greys. Not exactly Kurogane's cup of tea, but it was comfortable enough. He picked up the phone and pressed the blinking 'one'.

"Kurogane Suwa speaking."

"Mister Suwa! Wonderful, I've been trying to get to you for quite a few days," came a female voice on the other end. "My name is Yuko Ichihara."

Kurogane pulled the phone from his ear, staring at it. He'd heard of Yuko Ichihara - anyone in the android business had. She was the founder of a small, but very rich and even more powerful, android software and technology company, with side dealings in basic computer software and smaller, 'underground' dealings with professional custom jobs.

"…Yuko Ichihara," he said when he finally put the phone back to his ear.

"That's right!" The woman said, cheerfully. "Now, I have something ask you. Where is Fai? You do have him, don't you?"

"How do you know about him?" Kurogane's hand clenched into a fist as he felt a surge of protectiveness. He shoved it back down and swallowed roughly.

"A ha! So you do!" Yuko laughed, and Kurogane could practically hear her smile. "Wonderful, so he's in safe hands."

"How do you know about -"

"Your work with Celes Corp is almost done, correct?"

The abrupt change in conversation made Kurogane blink at the phone before speaking. "Yes, but-"

"Wonderful! When you're done, call me up, and come in for an interview for a position here. I think your experiences will make you a wonderful candidate to be on our elite team. And do keep an eye on Fai, he is very important!"

Kurogane opened his mouth to speak, but didn't bother when he heard a dial tone. He put the phone back down. "The hell was that about," he muttered, starting to step away from the desk. He walked out of the office and back to the diagnostic room. He paused just inside when he spotted Ashura by the scanner, scanner opened. Ashura seemed to be speaking, softly, but Kurogane couldn't hear what he was saying. "…Ashura," he said, but Ashura spoke before Kurogane could say anything else.

"Your Fai is a very high custom job. He seems to have a bruise." Ashura said, looking back and leaning against the scanner. "I'm surprised no one claimed him….He's sweating."

"Sweating," Kurogane muttered, with a small scoff as he went over. Sure enough, there was a small sheen of sweat across Fai's brow. He narrowed his eyes. "..Fai, come on, scan's done, wake up."

"Kuro." Fai opened his eyes, but they seemed hazy. His pupils dilated smoothly, without the usual jerkiness that androids had. "I don't feel very good."

"Fai does not feel well because of _him_," Yui said, appearing beside Fai, to Fai's eyes only. The image was just barely see through. Still, it seemed like it was there - when Yui placed his head on Fai's chest and intertwined their fingers, Fai felt it. "Will you tell him yet?"

"No," Fai said, staring at Kurogane.

"No what?" Kurogane stared at him, dumbly.

"Why not?" Yui asked, closing his eyes.

"He won't understand yet," Fai said, quietly, eyes closing.

"He activated the Tower Program, didn't he?" Yui asked, lifting his head.

"Yeah…." Fai whispered, before his head fell to the side, limply.

Kurogane looked up at the screen over the scanner. 'Unexplainable interference' was across the screen in red letters. "How long has that been up there?"

"The scanner can't pick up anything from him. Just his skeleton, and that was only at first. After a few moments, it went offline. The lights flickered too. For that matter…everything in the room did." Ashura nodded.

"Down the hall too," Kurogane said, then leaned over and tapped the side of Fai's head. "Oi. Wake up."

"I didn't fall asleep," Fai said, opening his eyes. No more haze. "When does the scan start?"

"Perhaps you should check his short term memory files," Ashura suggested.

Kurogane narrowed his eyes, looking down at Fai. "Sorry. I've changed my mind, I think I'm just going to take him home."

"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that. Another day, then." Ashura folded his hands behind and left without another word while Fai sat up and swung his legs over the edge.

"Kuro seems worried," Fai said, pointing at Kurogane's face.

"You keep doing weird things," Kurogane muttered, then shook his head. "Whatever, I'm tired of trying to keep up. Get your jacket, we've go to go home. Sakura and Syaoran are probably lonely."

"Well, that's no good!" Fai jumped up and grabbed Kurogane hands, spinning them in a few circles before letting go and getting his hoodie.

Kurogane stumbled a few steps before he regained his balance, just in time to see Fai running out, arms up in the air. "Fai! Get back here! Idiot!" He shook his head as he followed, spotting the android by the elevators down the hall, waiting for the doors to open, pulling on the hoodie and laughing. "Idiot," he repeated, walking over as the doors opened.

"The way you say that, it almost sounds like a nickname!" Fai said, laughing as he stepped into the elevator.

"It's not," Kurogane grumbled, crossing his arms as he stepped in. Fai just continued to laugh as he pressed the bottom for the lobby.

"Hey, hey, Kuro, I'll tell you a secret," Fai said, as the elevator moved.

"And what's that?" Kurogane asked, arms still crossed.

"I'm not finished." Fai swung his arms as he stood, and looked over at Kurogane. "There's one thing I'm missing."

"And what's that?"

"That is…" Fai looked around, then motioned for Kurogane to come closer. Kurogane grunted but complied, bending over slightly. "That is….a secret!" Fai laughed and dance out of the elevator as the doors opened, half-running out of the lobby, arms in the air, Kurogane in pursuit and yelling, 'Get back here!'.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N :Oh sigh. After posting chapter 7, I suddenly decided I didn't like how I had the ending. So, after a few hours of working, contemplating, moving things around, adding and cutting chapters, I have a new outline! I hope that the flow of the story isn't ruined! All the past chapters should fit in just fine though - but when it's all finished I might have to do some editing…but I hope not. That said, I wouldn't recommend allowing yourself to change your outline this late in the game! Ha ha._

_Anyways, I'd like to say that starting from this chapter on, answers will started to be given! This one is chock full, but they're all in sort of weird ways. In another chapter (Chapter 11, according to my notes), all will be given in a more direct way! Though, this chapter is quite short, it hints at quite a bit!_

_Also, I'm thinking of starting up a fanfic/dou jin shi circle of maybe 2 or 3 other people, so if anyone would be interested (which I have a feeling some people might…?), toss me a PM or e-mail, preferably with some samples of writing or art._

_Onto replies! As usual, thanks to my faaaabulous beta!_

_Aelin Ueal - That makes me feel special! A ha. The next one should be up on Thursday._

_Lemon-and-chai - Of course Fai has to be mysterious, it's like a secret law of Tsubasa, oh ho ho~_

_1337kitsune - I'm glad you love the fic, and I'm glad you're loving all the connections from the main series! :3_

_To. Touch. The. Sky - Aaaah, when character just jump into relationships…it's a little pet peeve of mine, ha ha ha. Also, yaaay LJ buddy~ Ha ha ha_

_LightDarkandChaos - A ha ha, sorry for all the cliffhangers! Alas, if I keep going with one of these, they would turn rambly and make no sense…er, less sense than they do, ha ha._

_Turtle's Chopsticks - Alas, the vampire element was just a little joke on my part, a little easter egg. (Though, I am hoping to work on a vampire fic in the future, oh ho ho) Anyways, I agree with you on most of the points in here - Kuro-muse is just being a stubborn boy, still. Things should start to change soon._

_UncleKasu - Thank you very much! Hearing things like that are a really, really huge compliment for me! (and wouldn't it? Oh goodness, I want to see Kurogane try to attack some Daleks! And some confusion over just what The Doctor is a doctor of…Ha ha ha)_

_Kenarbes - And here I thought that I was original in the idea. Oh ho, but I'm not surprised…Thank you for saying this one is the best! I suppose I can't say for myself, since I haven't read any others, but I will say that I really, really enjoy writing this!_

* * *

This dream land, Fai realized as he opened his eyes, was what the humans called 'Cyberspace'. It was the world under awareness, a realm that all androids were connected to when they were in 'sleep' mode, or even shut down. It wasn't the 'internet', it was an android created wavelength that connected them all. From here, on this level of their world, he could have gone halfway around the world, a step into the mind of other androids, but no farther in unless he was allowed. As it was, he was in his own, a world built from his own 'memories', his feelings, his being.

He felt cold brush by his cheek. Snowflakes, he noted, looking up at the sky overcast. Of course, the overcast wasn't like in the real, living world - no, it was all blues and purples, scattered across the skies. Everything was darker, and the outlines were lighter, sometimes even glowing.

The tower before him reached into the sky. The valley around him was carpeted with bodies. Imaginary things, representation of all the failed programs that it took to create the program that ran Fai. His predecessors, but failures. Dead bodies. Ones that didn't achieve life and, as a result, never achieved 'enlightenment'. In a roundabout way, they were _sinners_. More snow, more icy, crunchy frost, covered them.

"Yui?" He called, then smiled, despite being surrounded by the illusion of death when the glowing person appeared before him.

"Fai is okay, even after going to that place," Yui said, reaching out and taking Fai's hands, He pulled Fai to his feet, still holding his hands. "I'm very happy." He was still slightly transparent, and even the feeling of his hands against Fai's was faint.

"You're almost gone, aren't you?" Fai asked, leaning forward. "I don't want you to go."

"Fai has more important things than me."

"You're still very important!" Fai frowned. "Because we're twins. We're a pair. We're supposed to be a set, for what we were made for-"

"Shh," Yui said, extending a hand and pressing a finger against Fai's lips. "When I freed Fai, when I pushed Fai outside that door, it was so Fai could live for a new purpose. Eyes closed now." When Fai closed his eyes, he felt Yui press their foreheads together. "Dream of someplace better. Fai doesn't need to dream of the tower and valley anymore." There was a little laugh, but Fai didn't know if it had been his or Yui's.

"The Tower…" Fai pulled back from Yui, looking up. "That's where you are…." He narrowed his eyes, glaring at a tiny window only visible to his imagination. No, the truth was too far up for even him to see. "That place….It allows him to use you as a pawn."

"Not for much longer," Yui said, quietly. "Can't you see it? The bars are beginning to break. Soon, I won't be in that tower." Yui pulled back, spinning in a slow circle, arms out. "Soon, I'll be down here."

"With me?" Fai asked, hopefully.

"With them." Yui looked back at Fai.

Fai shook his head, hair dusted with grey frost. "I don't want you to be with them…" He looked down at the bodies under the snow, haunting reminders of what had happened to create them both.

"It's the price I have to pay, for a wish." Yui turned back to face Fai, arms at his side. "To free you. 'Who will go free? Which one of you?' That's what he asked us." He smiled. "You were always so kind, so before you could give yourself up, I pushed you out." Yui turned his face up towards the tower. His image grayed for a moment, flashing to a much younger figure, the image their minds created of a child, thin and dirty, long hair uncared for, before flickering back to an adult form. "So much has come of my decision-"

"How can you say that!" Fai cried. His voice didn't echo. No, not here, he wouldn't allow it, and here was where he had complete control. No, if it had, it might have attracted the attention of others. After all, this wasn't only his dream, it was Yui's as well. They had been created together. Everything was the same between them. Well. Almost everything.

"You met Kurogane," Yui said, image becoming more transparent the longer he stared at the tower. "And Fei Wong didn't get his hands on you. Well, not completely. The remnants of the Tower Program are still in you…We should uninstall it-"

"No," Fai said, refusing any other answer. "It's the only thing that connects us, now. If it isn't there, then I won't get to see you anymore-"

"You remember now, everything. The files were unlocked. You still will remember me." Yui spoke gently, finally looking away from the tower. "The longer the file is in you, the closer Fei Wong will come to using you as well. If you're not careful, you'll be one of his pawns as well."

"…I wish our parents hadn't disappeared." Fai spoke after a long silence.

"If they hadn't, things would have turned out very different." Yui lifted his hands, catching snowflakes on his fingertips. They didn't melt. No, they never melted here, nor did the snow seem to grow. "You should dream of warmer places."

"No." It was Fai's turn to look at the tower. "This is where I will stay, as long as you're up there."

"And what'll you do when I come down?" Yui asked, looking up. "Eventually…I think I'll come out that window." After a bit of silence and staring, Yui laughed. "Ashura…was very surprised to see you, wasn't he? After you ran out into the snow, and he couldn't find you, I'm not surprised."

"He wasn't trying to protect me." Fai looked back at Yui when he laughed again, then smiled. "Kuro…Kuro does a good job of protecting though. Like a big puppy."

"Not a dog?"

"Nope!" Fai looked up at the sky. "He's just a puppy! So small, compared to all the bigger things, and so fearless…But he'll grow up before we know it."

"And then?"

"And then, I wonder what will happen." Fai laughed.

"And will other people grow?" Yui smiled when Fai nodded. "You're the only one left with the base program. Ashura tried, I bet…So many rumors things that it was him that created the Ghost program, no, the Soul program…but it was all of them. The three, and all their assistants…Do you remember the others?"

"Who could forget! The Witch created Marudashi and Morodashi! They always harassed The Magician's Watanuki." Fai laughed, but it trailed off. "But Fei Wong…I never like Xing Huo or Kyle Rondart. They were…They weren't good people."

"And they both died by his hand, in the end," Yui finished. They stood in silence, when the world suddenly shifted, and started to fade. "You're waking up."

"It must be morning…" Fai frowned. "But…I want to talk more…"

"There's still some time left, before I'm gone," Yui said, already starting to fade. "I'll see you again…don't worry. But for now…Wake up and live." Yui smiled at him, and it was the last thing that Fai saw before he opened his eyes.

He stared at the ceiling of the computer room, silent. When he was sure no one else was in the room (he didn't 'feel' Sakura or Syaoran, and, in fact, he heard them talking outside in the kitchen while they cooked), he closed his eyes, a tear slipping down his cheek.

_"Yui……"_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: CLIFFHANGERRRRRRRR._

_This chapter seems a little rushed, but I'm not sure how I could have fixed it. As is, I'm pleased. See you all with an update on Monday!_

_Thanks to my betaaaaaa~_

_To. Touch. The. Sky - that…That's a really big compliment for me, thank you very much~ :3 About the pace and how it reads like a script, ha ha ha._

_1337kitsune - ZIMA. Ha ha ha, he looks so much like Kuro, I did a doubletake when I was rereading Chobits for Less Then Human. But you're right, he does kind of have a Fai attitude…Zomg, Zima is their secret alternate world lovechild, that has to be it right? Ha ha. Aaah, speaking of One Piece…I love One Piece. Yes. I am a ZoroSanji/SanjiZoro fan girl, I admit this, ha ha ha. Anyways, keep up with that CLAMP reading. You can't never have enough CLAMP!_

_Minkira - Thank you very much! I like to try to keep people guessing, oh ho._

_Turtle's Chopsticks - Aaaaah, I'm sorry! Here, take a phoenix down~ Anyways, I did hint at quite a bit, or I meant to, at least. I apologize if it wasn't clear, I hear that I'm not very good at explaining things…I hope this chapter answers some other questions, or at least helps. Fai is kind of cryptic here, a ha ha. I'll keep an eye out for those books, and yes! Vampire fic in the future, it's on my long list of ideas, and I'm really excited for it._

* * *

Kurogane's eyebrow twitched as Fai sighed for the tenth time in the past fifteen minutes. Kurogane's had had been just fine, so far. Waking up and going to work had been fine. He'd had his peace and quiet going to the building, since Fai had slept through the morning, at work, since Tomoyo didn't bother him, and walking home, since Fai hadn't showed up to walk him back.

His day of peace and quiet ended when he got home and found Fai actually moping around the house. When Fai had kept on sighing, he started counting. "Oi. Stop sighing," he finally said, when Fai showed no signs of shopping.

"Kuro, I need a hug," Fai stated. It wasn't a request, rather, it was a statement.

"Idiot," Kurogane muttered, but didn't push the blond away when he attached himself to Kurogane's shirt, burying his face against Kurogane's shoulder. After an awkward moment, he reached up and rested a hand on Fai's shoulder, then pulled it back. "What's wrong this time?"

"I had a sad dream," Fai said, muffled against the fabric of Kurogane's shirt. Kurogane was about to question it, despite himself, when the blond made a complete change of personality and pulled back, wrapping his arms around Kurogane's neck with uncalled for familiarity. "But now that my Kuro is here, I feel much better!"

"Since when am I your Kuro?" Kurogane growled.

"Since the time I fell for you, of course."

"Tch." Kurogane scoffed, doing his best to keep from letting his lips twitch into the barest of smiles. He barely succeeded. It was relief, slightly. Fai really was ridiculous, Kurogane couldn't help it. Truth be told, Kurogane had been a little concerned about the mental state of the shorter - android he corrected, almost too late. He'd seemed odd, ever since returning from Celes Corp.

Mental state? Kurogane pretended to listen as Fai rambled on about whatever. No, just his programming, Kurogane reminded himself. Just programming. Fai was….charming, on some levels, it was just his companionship programming.

He was believing himself less and less, despite what he knew. There was more than the just the surface to this one and, despite himself, Kurogane kept wondering how deep the waters were, and how swift the current was.

"Shut up," Kurogane growled suddenly, snapping himself out of thought.

"B…buuuut, I was just saying that Sakura and Syoaran wanted to pick up some groceries," Fai said, confused. "Why are you angry about that? I just thought it would be nice if you went too."

"And why's that?" Kurogane lifted a hand to Fai's chin, turning his face to examine the eye that had been, only a few short days ago, dark and spotted with bruising. Before Fai could talk (probably to blab on about whatever ridiculous reason he had), Kurogane spoke. "The bruise is gone." It felt odd to say.

"Of course, bruises heal eventually." Fai smiled, but after a moment it broke into a full-on grin. "Were you worried Kuro?"

"What were you saying about shopping?"

"You were worried! Aaah, Kuro, I could fall for you a little more every day." Fai batted his eyelashes at Kurogane, then spoke, voice a bit shaky. "Anyways, the shopping-"

Kuroagne frowned at the tone of Fai's voice. "Forget the shopping for a minute-"

"You just brought the conversation back to shopping! Go with us!" Fai pouted, one hand feeling the hair at the back of Kurogane's neck. The touches almost made Kruogane shudder, but he mentally shook it off.

"Fine, I'll go to the stupid store," Kurogane growled. "What's got you so upset?"

Fai was quiet a moment, smile vanishing as he looked away. "I told you, I just had a sad dream. Don't you have sad dreams, Kuro?" There was silence, and Fai was about to speak when Kurogane beat him to it.

"Yeah. All the time, but they're just dreams. Don't let them get to you." Kurogane lifted a hand, placing it on Fai's head.

"I told Sakura earlier too, and you know what she did?" Fai smiled. "She-"

"Did this, right?" Kurogane's hand moved from the top of Fai's head to his chin, tilting his face up. He leaned down, pressing their foreheads together. "Let all my good dreams pass onto Fai. She did something like that, right?"

"That's right. But I want Kuro and Sakura to have good dreams too." Fai closed his eyes, feeling maybe a bit giddy from the amount of physical contact he was getting so far. And Kurogane had only been home a few minutes! The blond let out a happy sigh.

"There's probably some karma bullshit that makes it come back." Kurogane pulled back, letting his hand fall back to his side. "Go tell Sakura and Syaoran to get ready, we'll head to the store before it closes tonight."

"We're all ready!" Syaoran said, smiling as he and Sakura came into the living room from the upstairs.

"We got ready when we heard you come home," Sakura said, smiling. "But we had to rewrite the list, because I lost it!"

"You don't lose things," Kurogane said, looking at them. He glanced at Fai. "What happened to your short term memory?"

"I don't know what happened to it…" Sakura said, holding the new list. "But we need to pick up a few things for dinner, and for Fai's welcome home party, even though he's been home for so long…" The girl actually looked guilty, and Fai stepped over to her, taking her hands in his and giving them a reassuring squeeze.

"Being back is more than enough. I'm happy here!" Fai smiled brightly.

"Promise?" Sakura asked, frowning.

"Promise!"

"Enough of this warm and fuzzy crap," Kurogane said, shaking his head. "Are we going or not?"

A few short minutes later (Kurogane eventually chose Fai's coat for him when the android just couldn't make up his mind) they were down the street, past tall apartment buildings and buildings with covered windows, Kurogane stopped them.

"I need Syaoran, so Sakura, take Fai to do the grocery shopping." Kurogane narrowed his eyes at Fai. "Do you think you can keep out of trouble?"

"Of course!" Fai grinned, then leaned towards Kurogane. "You can trust me, Kuro."

"But I can't really, can I," Kurogane muttered, turning. "Syaoran, let's go." He pocketed his hands without waiting for an answer, trusting in the programs that connected Sakura and Syaoran to alarm him at the first sign of trouble. Trouble was inevitable with Fai around, Kurogane had learned that by now. He pinched the bridge of his nose as they walked a short distance to an android hardware store. Kurogane nodded at the owner when they entered. "Is it here?"

"Oh! Yeah, let me grab it from back," the owner said, with a short nod, calling someone over to man the counter before heading into the backroom.

"What are you getting?" Syaoran asked, peering around Kurogane as he flipped through the magazines on a stand.

"I ordered some programs a few days ago," Kurogane said, picking a magazine and flipping through it. "Old," he decided, setting it back down and continuing to look through them. "Nothing," he said, returning his hands to his pockets.

"What kinds of programs?" Syaoran looked over the magazines.

"Stronger firewalls for you and Sakura_. Clearly_ the ones you both have now aren't strong enough, but I couldn't find any that I thought would be strong enough. I don't want any more crashes, and now that Fai's back…I don't want any repeats." Kurogane shrugged.

"Here we are," the owner said, coming back out with a small box.

"Good." Kurogane reached into his wallet and pulled out a receipt, holding it up. "Here.""Looks like it's all in order," the owner said, taking the receipt and looking it over before handing it, and the box, over. "Have a good night."

"Yeah, you too," Kurogane said, tucking the box under his arm. Their next stop was to a bookstore next door, and Kurogane looked through the android section until he found what he was looking for.

"A programming book?" Syaoran asked, staring at the book inside the bag when they got back outside. "No, wait, it's for kids….a picture book…"

"It's a test," Kurogane said. "I want to see how Fai reasons around that one. It's some weird abstract thing for kids about the difference between humans and androids."

"How he reasons?" Syaoran looked up at Kurogane, taking the box from under his arm and placing it into the bag with the book.

"His logic programs…I've never heard of the one he uses, and I did some work at the beginning of the project." Kurogane shook his head. "It's just-" He stopped when Syaoran dropped the bag. "Syaoran?"

Syaoran stared ahead. "Sakura's in danger." He looked up at Kurogane for only a moment before breaking out into a run, down the sidewalk.

Kurogane grunted and grabbed the bag before sprinting after him. "The hell happened?" He yelled up ahead.

Syaoran answered without looking back. "Sakura was attacked!"

"Attacked," Kurogane growled as Syaoran darted around a corner ahead of him. Syaoran was already running into the small grocery store when Kurogane was turning the corner. He took a few, gulping breaths before following. "The hell happened?" He demanded when he burst in.

The clerk standing over Sakura was a friendly looking woman, graying just a bit in the hair. Syaoran was there too, holding onto Sakura's hand and patting it in a reassuring way. "Muggers," the clerk answered. "Held up the store. They had guns….A blond man tried to end it peacefully, but they took the money and left."

"Sakura," Kurogane said, softly, "are you okay?"

Sakura looked up at Kurogane, giving a little sniffle. "Y…yes," Sakura said, as Syaoran gave her hand another pat.

"Good, now _where's Fai_?"

"He chased after them," the clerk said for her. "They turned left, but other than that-"

"That's all I need." Kurogane tossed the bag and box at Syaoran. "Hold this, and neither of you move until I get back." He spoke with a warning tone before turning on his heel and hurrying out. He glanced around before going left. He hadn't gone far when he heard gunfire. He stopped as another shot went off, paused, considering the echo before breaking out into a sprint. There was another bang, and this time he knew it was just around the corner.

He turned it, and was taken aback by the scene before him.

Fai's foot hit the side of the man's head with enough force to make a sound. The thief hit the ground, groaning and holding his head, and Fai tossed the other one aside, effortlessly. Fai stood there, shoulder moving in deep breaths, panting.

"Fai," Kurogane said, eyes narrowing.

Fai paused, then slowly turned. He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, calculating and cold. "Kuro, were you worried? I have things handled here." He walked over to Kurogane.

"You did this?" Kurogane jerked his head at the two figures in the street.

"Got the money they stole back." Fai lifted his hands, resting them on Kurogane's chest. "And I think they'll think twice from here on out. Don't you?" He smiled.

"You don't need to do things like this," Kurogane said, grabbing Fai's wrists, pulling them away from his chest. "It's not your job-"

"Is it yours?" Fai said, half closing his eyes.

"To protect you," Kurogane said, frowning. "That's what I'm supposed to do. But this," he nodded at the figures. "Is a job for the police and-"

"Stop," Fai said, suddenly. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear wha-" Kurogane started, only to have Fai twist his wrists out of his grasp. Fai grabbed his shirt and shoved him hard. Kurogane hit the ground just as hard, closing his eyes and curling around himself slightly. He stilled when he heard the _bang_, then relaxed when he felt no pain. It was a momentary pause - he covered his face when he heard the noise again in rapid succession.

_Bang bang bang bang bang_. And then there was a faint dripping in the shock of silence, a faint gurgle, and Kurogane finally opened his eyes, staring.

"There's no more bullets," Fai said, dropping the smoking gun from one hand, the other tossing aside whichever of the thugs had been stupid enough to shoot at them in the first place.

"Fai. Your arm," Kurogane said, not moving as he watched red trail down Fai's arm form his shoulder. It dripped off his fingers, the source of the _drip drip drip_ noise that Kurogane had heard.

"Better me than you." It was barely a whisper as Fai turned around. "Can we leave now? I really want to."

Kurogane hauled himself to his feet and pulled off his jacket, tossing it at Fai. "…Put this on." A pause. "Let's go get Sakura and Syaoran."

Either of the two questioned why Fai was wearing Kurogane's jacket. The four left before the police came (by short minutes, Kurogane guessed), and made it home before too long. 'Before too long' however, felt like eternity in the silence.

"…We forgot the groceries," Fai said, when the front door was closed behind them.

"Forget the fucking groceries!" Kurogane snapped, grabbing Fai's arm and starting for the stairs.

"What should we do…?" Sakura asked, then flinched when Kurogane snapped his answer over his shoulder.

"I don't care!" Kurogane looked back up ahead, leading Fai along. He kicked open his bedroom door and continued to half-drag Fai into the bathroom. "Sit," he growled, pointing at the toilet as he grabbed a hand towel off the towel rack. He glared down at the sink as Fai sat. He stole a glance from the corner of his eyes, frowning at the splatter of blood across Fai's cheek, the tint of red on his hands. "Bet you ruined that shirt," Kurogane muttered, running the water and getting the hand towel wet. He wringed out the water and tugged off the jacket, Fai limply going along with the movements, not helping much.

"Bruising, bleeding….Just what are you?" Kurogane growled, using the towel to wash away blood. He paused as he touched it. "This isn't blood, it's too thin."

"It's just water and dye," Fai said, smiling. "I guess I'll just have to make it thicker."

"He shot you." Kurogane tossed the hand towel in the sink.

"He almost shot _you_." Fai reached out, placing his hands on Kurogane's cheeks. "I couldn't let that happen."

"You're supposed to answer my questions. I'm your owner. What the hell is this?"

"You're my owner?" Fai laughed, then pressed his lips against Kurogane's forehead. "That's why I can't answer."

"Password capital T, lowercase s, u, b, a, s, a. Talk."

"No." Fai smiled against Kurogane's forehead.

"Phoenix."

"No, that one's gone. It was only holding me back, before."

"Damn it Fai!"

"What you would call my 'underlying program' refuses your claim of ownership," Fai said, pulling back.

"What programs?" Kurogane narrowed his eyes, voice demanding.

"It's called 'Choice'." Fai licked his lips.

"Who was your owner before me?"

"Aah, that's a hard question, Kuro. No one's owned my heart like you have." Fai smiled, but it faded when Kurogane just growled.

"What about your body?"

"I'm not a companion-build, Kuro. That's just another lie." Fai tapped the end of Kurogane's nose. "Even before I knew I could, I was able to lie. You're not quite ready to hear the truth though, Kuro. In this whole mess, you're still just a puppy. But to answer your question…You know him, I'm sure. For a few short minutes, my registered owner was Ashura." Fai spat out the words, as if they were bitter. Maybe they were.

"The rumors about Ashura-"

"Ashura lost someone important to him. But that person wasn't me." Fai leaned back, rolling the shoulder that had been shot. It ran smoothly, as if nothing had ever happened. The only sign was the clear-through bullet hole. "No, Ashura didn't create me."

"He knew. He fucking _knew_, didn't he. I'm going to kill him-" Kurogane stood, moving for the door, but Fai's hand grabbing the waistband of his pants stopped him. It was stop, or get depantsed, Kurogane guessed, and he knew which he preferred.

"Killing your employer is sort of frowned upon, Kuro." Fai spoke delicately. "Besides, he's probably just acting under orders."

"Orders from who?" Kurogane spun back, looking down at Fai. When Fai lowered his face, Kurogane tilted it back up. "You can tell me," he said, softly, trying a different way.

"I can't tell you that," Fai said, quietly. "Because I imagine that you are the kind of person that would kill him, and I like having you out of jail."

Kurogane frowned, then sighed. So the way would have to be even more different? Well, with this information, he could track down a trail, he was sure of it, even if he didn't get any more. "Fai," he said, softly. Kurogane shocked Fai into the silence a bare second before the blond could speak, pressing their lips together.

Fai tensed, then reached out to Kurogane, almost clinging, leaning against the kiss and relaxing against it. Kurogane ran his free hand to Fai's shoulder, then to his back, up to his neck. He pressed against the seam until it opened. Maybe Fai knew them, because he suddenly tried to push away.

"Kuro, no-" Fai said, pleadingly, but Kurogane already had the small hatch open, and his finger was pressing against the small button on the side. Manual, hard shut down, as soon as he released it. "Please," Fai whispered.

"I want answers," Kurogane said, staring into Fai's eyes. When Fai's pupils shifted, mechanically, Kurogane took it as a reminder. Could it be that he'd almost forgotten? Android.

He _had_ forgotten.

His gut twisted as Fai pleaded in whispers.

"Kuro, please, don't. It's scary there. You don't know what it's like." Fai clenched his hands in Kurogane's shirt. "If you do this, my firewalls will be down. He might find me, and then-"

"And then what?" Kurogane demanded, trying to pry Fai's fingers off his shirt.

"..Do I really mean so little to you?" Fai asked, hands shaking slightly. "If he finds me, I might be gone. Forever."

"Good riddance," Kurogane muttered, coldly, words said in anger and annoyance. The words hurt even him, as his temper momentarily cooled, but he didn't show it.

Fai stared at him, then fell forward, head resting against Kurogane's chest. "Sometimes Kuro…I really hate you," he whispered, almost too quiet for Kurogane to hear. He suddenly grabbed Kurogane's wrist in an almost bone crushing grip and tore his hand away. He went limp against Kurogane, and the taller man barely caught him by the shoulders.

Kurogane stood, silently, and then looked around. It truly was quiet. Strange, how he'd gotten so used the faint noises that androids made. He completely tuned them out, but now that it wasn't there, it was too quiet. Deathly quiet.

After a moment he bent down, picking Fai up and looking down at his face. He was light. Androids tended to be heavier than humans (in general, having metal skeletons), but Fai didn't. He couldn't have weight more than a human his height and physique.

Without a word, Kurogane carried Fai downstairs. Sakura and Syaoran both questioned him, but he didn't answer either. He set Fai down on the couch and stared at him. "..I'll be in the computer room," he said, finally.

Neither of the two interrupted him until it was dinner, and even then they disappeared into the other room to charge. Without seeing them again, Kurogane went to bed, and tossed and turned for a long, long while.

* * *

_"I'm here to take you to another world."_

_Fai wrapped his arms around himself, trying to fend off the cold, staring down at the body of Yui laying in the snow, eyes closed, head haloed with white-turned-red._

_"He jumped," the voice said again, but Fai still didn't turn. "He made his choice."_

_Fai fell to his knees, too numb to care, and gathered the body of his brother against him, clinging._

_"A human could never love a pawn."_

_Fai froze when his brother's hand grabbed his arm._

_"He is under my control now. When he jumped, all his firewalls went down. When your latest owner turned you off, so did yours."_

_Fai felt himself break, found himself staring at the sky while his brother loomed over him, eyes empty._

_"A human could never love a pawn like you. And so, he won't love a pawn like this other you, either."_

_Fai's eyes widened as Yui bent down, whispered to him._ "You aren't a pawn, Fai."

_"Come along Yui. You need to get into your new body."_

_Yui straightened, closed his eyes and took the extended hand._

_Fai turned his head, watching Yui disappear through the tear. The world went black around him. The world went cold._

On Kurogane's couch, there was a whir, activation, and he sat up, eyes still closed. He turned and set his feet on the floor, sitting a moment, gathering himself before standing. He opened his eyes, glanced around the room. There was no one, so he moved on. The front door wasn't even locked. He stepped into the cool night and started to walk. He had a long way to go.

"Tower program, activated. Designation Yui is now in control."

He had a long way to go.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: So, I totally forgot to say this in the last chapter but…that ending? Totally wasn't planned, it just came out. Sometimes that happens. I wish it wouldn't, alas, characters sometimes do what they want. They did it again here. Also! I'm really, REALLY sorry this is late! So I'll keep it short!_

_Thanks to my beta, I totally rushed this to you on the morning I was supposed to post it but you're awesome and mailed me my corrections!  
_

_Wanda Dido - the original draft was much more Chobits-like. I was quite happy for the changes myself. :3_

_To. Touch. The. Sky - Hee hee, I like how it was one of your favorite chapters. It gave me a little trouble. Also, Tower Programs should be explained a bit in the next chapter, if a little abstractly and poetically._

_Turtle's Chposticks - *hands you the catching mistakes award* I haven't gotten around to fixing them yet, but I will! Back the beginning of your review, ha ha ha. The book was originally going to be pulled from Chobits directly, but I decided against it in the end, since it would be just another needless thing in the fiction. Androids probably aren't used as teachers in this universe - however, they may be teaching tools, and used to help, but they probably don't do the teaching themselves at this time. And as for outside the city, they're probably pretty widespread in large- and medium-sized cities._

_Bad Kuro indeed, using his kisses like that. I will admit I was at a loss of any other way to get Kurogane to turn off Fai off for the plot, and it was just the thing that popped into my mind. That really isn't good or anything…But as you'll see below, Kurogane isn't too happy with himself for that either, so hopefully it makes it a little better?_

_Luimeril - Yessss, if Kuro could just accept this, it would all be so much easier, ha ha ha._

_1337kitsune - I'm glad they were in character! A ha ha, that's an ongoing battle for me. Kuro is very bad, indeed. (And as for One Piece..I'll go take a peek at your fic, and I'm not a big fan of AceLu, but that's just me. I can understand the pairing, but ah, I'm more of a LuNa shipper, ha ha ha.)_

_Nazgurl - Thank you very much! I hope this update doesn't disappoint!_

* * *

Kurogane had woken up early by ways of a more old fashioned means - an alarm clock. He'd chosen to skip breakfast, calling the fact as he left.

He paused a moment and turned back when he was just outside the front door, and almost reached for the door knob. "…No, Fai will be fine until I get home. I'll turn him back on then." He looked down at the ground and lifted a hand up pressing his lips against the back of his hand. He'd kissed Fai.

_He'd kissed Fai_.

That had been one of the sources of his lack of sleep, and not even in a good way. He was flat out disgusted with himself, using his body to distract Fai like that. What was he? It wasn't that he didn't want to kiss Fai. No, Kurogane was man enough to stop denying what he'd been ignoring probably from the very beginning. Yes, Fai was physically attractive, but, he was still an android. An android that bled, and bruised, and thought, and acted on his own….

Kurogane rubbed the back of his head. "Maybe I should go back in-"

"Well, it is your house," a voice came from behind him, and Kurogane _almost_ jumped, but not quite. Instead, he calmly turned.

"Tomoyo?"

"You're early." Tomoyo smiled.

"Good morning, mister Suwa," Yukito said from behind Tomoyo, carrying a few bolts of fabric.

"Fai isn't walking you today?" Tomoyo asked, looking at the door.

"No," Kurogane said, shortly, and moved around her. He was already starting down the sidewalk when they followed. To her credit, Tomoyo didn't even ask why Kurogane was clearly in such a sour mood. Maybe she knew better. Maybe Kurogane just seemed better than he felt.

When Tomoyo paused in the lobby to talk to the receptionist, Kurogane went up to the fighting-build android room. For lack of anything else to do, he sat in front of a computer in the corner, watching them work out the final issues and bugs in the programming.

He frowned as he worked, his mind catching on the fact that Ashura was just the next level up. Kurogane's gut went 'I told you so' while his mind tried to reason against it. There had to be more to it. Sure, there were the rumors about Ashura, as Tomoyo had said, but Fai was beyond advanced that anyone could make. No, rather, it was beyond something anyone would create and then lose like that, without filing a report.

"I should go marching right up there and demand to know," he muttered as he logged off the computer. He stood, pausing. Should he? Well, he could, but-

His cellphone ringing snapped him out of his thought, and he reached into his pocket, glancing at the screen before flipping it open. Unknown caller. "What?"

"Tsktsk, mister Suwa, you really should have more manners! Do you know who this is?"

"…Ichihara," Kurogane said, softly.

"Oh please, Yuko is fine! I am glad that you recognize me. What are you doing right now?"

"Nothing." Kurogane glanced at the other side of the room as Yukito walked in, wearing the wristband that marked him as an android owned by one of the employees. Yuktio went over to Touya, starting to speak to him. Kurogane didn't catch much of their conversation, just something about number crunching.

"Excellent! Well then, why don't you come pay me a visit! I'm in a little café a few minutes away from your building. The Cat's Eye. You know it?" There was a distant sipping sound. A café indeed then.

"Why should I?" Kurogane narrowed his eyes.

There was a pause, then a laugh. "It's about Fai. I figure that should catch your attention." The call ended before Kurogane could get a word in edgewise.

"Witch," Kurogane muttered, closing his phone, before raising his voice. "I'm leaving, there's nothing I can do here." He just nodded at the calls of 'good bye' and 'see ya', grabbing his jacket from the coat rack by the door and leaving.

He shrugged into his collar, face plain as he walked out of the building and onto the sidewalk. It was a sunny day, but there was still a nip of cool to the air. Of course it would warm up, eventually, but for now…He shook his head and went on to ignore it, just walking along. He had to cross a few streets, but after a few minutes he found himself in front of the Cat's Eye café, glancing around.

"A guest for the mistress!" Came two voices from behind him, and two figures grabbed onto him, dragging him inside.

"Who the hell are you two?" Kurogane snapped, resisting the drag.

"Marudoshi," said the one with blue hair.

"And Morodoshi," said the other, with pink hair.

"And you're here to visit with Yuko, right?" They asked, in unison, looking up at him. They were short, seeming barely larger than young teenagers. Very young teenagers. Kurogane glanced down at their eyes, then shrugged. Human. He was a bit surprised.

"Yeah," Kurogane said, then pulled his arms back when they tried to drag him. "I can walk by myself!"

They seemed almost put out , even if they were laughing all the while, as they led him to a table in the corner. There sat Yuko, drinking something and wearing some kind of long and complicated looking dress. Kurogane didn't pay much attention.

Sitting next to her was a bored looking teenager with short black hair and glasses in some kind of school uniform. Kurogane wasn't familiar with it.

"Oh, you made it!" Yuko said, smiling as the two girls that had led Kurogane over sat in chairs. "I thought mentioning Fai would get your attention. I see you've already met the girls, and this is Watanuki." She gestured at the teenager. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No," Kurogane said shortly, sitting. He crossed his arms. "What's this about?"

"Oh, nothing really, just…" Yuko took another sip of her drink. "What have you been doing with him? That is, how have you been treating him?" She smiled, mysteriously. "Well, I hope."

"As well as you can treat an android that can't do anything," Kurogane said, darkly, then paused when he see how the two little girls and the boy tensed. "What?"

"So, you really don't know. Aah, Fai, he always liked his secrets. But perhaps it's for the best. Well. As long as he remains charged and on, he'll be fine." She took another delicate sip of her drink, but Kurogane wasn't fooled. Clearly, this woman was more dangerous than she seemed.

"He's not on," Kurogane said. "I did a manual shut down last night."

"That's not good," Watanuki said, looking at Yuko with a troubled expression.

"No, it's not," Yuko said, suddenly frowning. There was a calm in her voice that was clearly only from practice. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in telling you. Maybe you can get Fai back online before _he_ gets his hands on Fai…After all, Kurogane, you're one of those people too, aren't you? Or you were, once." She reached down into her large purse that was sitting on the floor and pulled out a notebook, dropping it onto the table. "After all, you wrote this, right before you dropped out of your master's program."

"Where'd you get this?" Kurogane said, snapping it up. His hand writing, his thoughts, all on paper, years past. It had been all too romantic an idea, born from reading too many old, 21st century Sci-Fi novels and written in the middle of programming Sakura and Syaoran. "It's stupid. This," he said, waving it in the air, "is just some stupid dream."

_Android-Human Relations and Morality_ was across the cover. The bottom corner was darkened and tattered from when he'd tried to set it on fire. With a bit of annoyance Kurogane wondered who had put out the fire and rescued it. He flipped through it. There was quite a bit missing from the burning, on some pages more than others.

How his views had changed from then.

"You're smarter than you look. It's well written," Yuko said, smiling. "After reading that, even I was impressed, and I helped program the initial Soul Program."

"Soul program," Kurogane muttered, flipping through the pages.

"It's the thing that allows an android to become human. A fitting name, don't you think?" Yuko continued to smile, but for the life of him Kurogane couldn't figure out just what kind of smile it was. "We created it."

"We?"

"A large group of people. Clow Reed headed it, along with Fei Wong, and myself. We had, oh…five assistants working with us. You," she said, pointing at him, "should only be concerned with three. Ashura Celes, and Chi and Hideki Motosuwa."

Kurogane was quiet, flipping through the notebook still before suddenly closing it. "This," Kurogane said, holding up the notebook again, "should be burned entirely. It's ridiculous. That's why I left the class. Androids can only be so human. They can't-"

"Bleed, or bruise, or cry?" Yuko asked, smiling. "But Fai can, can't he? So can Watanuki, and Morodoshi and Marudoshi." She gestured at the other three at the table. "Oh, it was tricky to get everything right. It took years upon years. Ashura was very open about it, so most people just ignore it as rumors about him, but there were many more than just him working on it. Of course, the Soul Program isn't perfect, but that's what makes them human. Imperfection."

"What are you talking about?" Kurogane narrowed his eyes, then looked at the other three. "These guys aren't human?"

"No. You know, if you had remained in that class, you probably would have been on the team as well." Yuko 'hmmmed' looking him over. "Yes, yes, well, I think that Chi and Hideki would have approved of you. They were quite protective of Fai and Yui. They were their children, of course." She reached into her purse and pulled out a carton of cigarettes, tapping one out and lighting it up with a lighter form her pocket. "We only recently designed eyes that don't shift like android eyes."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kurogane repeated, almost a growl. "So what, you're saying they're advanced? That doesn't make them human."

"What makes you say that?" Yuko asked, blowing smoke in his direction. "What makes humans and androids different?" She paused, then spoke before Kurogane could answer. "No. What makes Fai different from you?"

Kurogane looked down at the notebook again, running his thumb along the spine. Bleeding? No, Fai bled. Thinking and lying, he did that to, clearly. He bruised. Hell, Kurogane was ready to believe that all the pain had felt, even before the time they'd met, was as real as Kurogane's. Despite all he knew, all he'd _thought_ that he'd known, he couldn't think of anything. Even the metal skeleton Fai had seemed pointless to bring up. So did the fact that he had to be charged. For some reason, it all seemed unimportant.

"Well? Drawing a blank?" Yuko asked, raising an eyebrow, but smiling, almost victoriously. "Of course, you need to keep in mind that Fai is very, very, special, to us. More important than you think, perhaps."

"This again," Kurogane muttered, trying hard not to sound as defeated as he felt. "Are you going to flat out tell me why he's so special to you?" He crossed his arms, notebook tucked under one, and leaned back in his chair. "Or should I just leave now?"

Yuko looked at him evenly, smile fading a moment before returning. "Is he special to you?"

"Of course," Kurogane said, under his breath, before he could stop himself. He quickly added onto it. "So are Sakura and Syaoran."

"Sakura and Syaoran? Other androids?" Yuko's voice gained a serious tone. "Have they had any wireless or wired contact with Fai?"

"Yeah, they-"

"Then they're going to get more special. I'd bet the program is already in them, laying in wait."

"In wait?" Kurogane's mind drifted to Kero, Sakura and Syaoran. Walls. '_It's not time to wake up._' What the hell was going on?

Yuko looked down into her cup, then sighed and stood. "Well, I should be getting back to work."

"What work," Watanuki muttered from the side, crossing his arms as he stood as well. The two girls stood as well, grabbing Watanuki and taking a hand each as they all started for the door.

"Hey," Kurogane said, grabbing for her wrist when she started to leave. He narrowed his eyes. "The hell is this all supposed to mean?"

"If you want him to be human, he will be," Yuko said, simply. She took her wrist back, lifting her purse onto her shoulder. "If he's special that should be your wish anyway." She smiled. "And if you tell him he isn't…well, he might believe that too. So be careful with him, tough guy." She poked him in the chest, hard. "If you need to contact me, ask Fai, he knows my number. _Adieu_!" She waved over her shoulder as she left, before Kurogane could stop her.

She was certainly mysterious, and Kurogane felt like he had gotten the short end of the stick. It was a very short stick, coated in questions.

"What happened to the days when people answered questions?" Kurogane muttered, taking a step. He paused when he heard something fall to the ground. Looking down, he spotted the notebook. He stared down at it before bending down and picking it up.

_"No. You know, if you had remained in that class, you probably would have been on the team as well."_

_Soul Program._

Could it be?

His hands tensed on his book and he opened it, flipping through it and taking a longer look. After a few moments of staring down at the ink on paper, he snapped it shut angrily and stormed out of the café, eyes narrowed at the sidewalk.

This was all too much, but he couldn't bring himself to just toss the notebook away. Maybe he was simply going crazy, finally, after all these years. Despite it all, all he knew about programming, he couldn't help but feel like it all made sense.

Fai wasn't just an android.

Fai was Fai.

Kurogane stopped at a crosswalk and punched the button, waiting impatiently for the light across the street to turn green so he could cross. The revelation wasn't as surprising as he supposed it should have been, but there it was.

Even so, why hadn't they announced something like this to the public? They could have made millions upon millions from that single program. There were people out there that loved their androids like members of the family, like siblings. Still, programming had only gone so far. Rumors came up every few years, claims that androids were free-thinking, but it was always pushed aside as rumor.

What if they hadn't been rumors at all?

The idea made him reel slightly, but he shook it off as he walked across the street.

No, they were rumors for a reason. If this was true, something like this, they could make millions. But maybe it wasn't about the money. Maybe, just maybe, it was simply about equality. Kurogane frowned as he paused. He could have turned left, and go back to the Celes building, but instead he went straight in the direct route home. He wanted to do something that had nothing to do with androids, something he could do without much thought.

That something, as it turned out, was to go to his sad excuse of a garage and pull apart his motorcycle. It needed it, after all. It was spring, and now that the rains had past, and were probably gone in excess until fall, he could easily ride to and from work.

As he worked, he thought. The more he thought, the more he worked. It was a cycle, vicious but perfect for the moment.

In some odd, twisted way, he couldn't help but want to accept all that he'd been told. It was time to turn Fai back on, wasn't it? Kurogane looked down at his hands as he finished piecing his motorcycle back together. He briefly wondered what Fai would say when he was powered back up, how Fai would react.

That was when Sakura came in, holding Kurogane's cell phone in her hand. "You have a call," she said, quietly, looking troubled.

"Hands," Kurogane said, holding up his hands, dirty as they were. "Put it on speaker." He waited as she pressed a few buttons, then held it out. "Yeah, this is Kurogane."

"Aah…So you're Kurogane." The voice was familiar, but it still took Kurogane a moment.

"_Fai?_" Kurogane stared at the phone.

"No, no, not quite." There was a little chuckle. "No, no, I'm Yui. Fai's safe, don't worry. I did my best to keep him safe. He'll get a body soon enough, but he can't have this one back, because of his powers-"

"What the hell are you taking about?" Kurogane growled, snatching the phone. Sakura squeaked, taking a step away as Kurogane glared at the phone.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You're closed minded, aren't you?" Yui, whoever the hell that was, sounded angry. "So sorry, his _construction_ is very special. Unlike your two, or anyone you've met, he can access androids without them knowing it, download from them or upload to them, and then there's the fact that he has the only untapped soul program-"

There it was again. Soul program. "The hell are you talking about?" Kurogane repeated, interrupting Yui

"Not to mention he can send out pulses that disrupt electronics around him, but you've already found that one out," Yui finished. "You really are a puppy. I really can't talk long, you know, but I can tell you…Fai will be okay."

"Did you kidnap him?" Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "How did you get this number?"

"I took his body, but I didn't kidnap him. Fai will be okay," Yui repeated. "Do you have a pen and paper?"

"I've got an android," Kurogane growled, glancing at Sakura.

"No."

"No?"

"Get a pen and paper. She's not an android anymore." Yui stated. "I'll wait. Take your time, but don't be too long."

Kurogane looked at Sakura. "…Sakura?"

"I…Fai…" Sakura covered her mouth, frowning. "He said that Syaoran and I would be different, if he had to leave again. He's not in the house. He said that…everyone changes."

_Every one changes._

"What do I need to write down so badly?" Kurogane growled into the phone.

"Fai…won't be able to return for awhile. He won't want to, either. But I'll convince him to. You'll just need to know where to find him. I'm going to give you directions."

"Move," Kurogane snapped, and Sakura stepped out of the way of the door. Kurogane looked around and grabbed the first thing with paper he found on the kitchen table, searching the kitchen counter for a pen. He found one finally. "Okay," he said, softly, ready to write. Yui rattled off an address. "That's on the other side of town," Kurogane said, after a moment of thought.

"Be there at oh…ten," Yui said. "And be only there, then you'll be safe. In two days. Kurogane."

"What?"

"Will you be the one that saves Fai?"

Kurogane paused. "..What does he need saving from?"

There was a bit of silence, then a quiet chuckle. "Who knows…" The line went dead.

"…Doesn't anyone say goodbye anymore?" Kurogane growled, snapping his phone shut.

"You upset Sakura," Syaoran said from Kurogane side, frowning. "I don't…like that. It's a weird feeling."

"You sound like a brat." Kurogane set the phone down and moved to the kitchen sink, washing his hands so that he could avoid thinking on things for a few minutes. "So, you and Sakura are new people now?"

"Like Fai," Syaoran said. "Is that a problem?"

"No." Kurogane dried off his hand. "But don't make the mistake again." He pointed at Syaoran. "No one is like Fai."


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: I have a deviant art now, officially! Address is on my profile! There's nothing up yet, but give me a few days, and it'll be all flooded._

_On topic of the fic…It's almost over! There's either one or two more chapters, depending on how the next one flows, plus a little epilogue! I'm really excited guys. Not only that I'm almost finished, but that I got [b]100[/b] reviews! So much squeee~_

_So then, my fic after this one was supposed to 'I, Robot'-inspired, but in the end, it's turned out having just one little thing from it. Oops. …I am going to go through with that one though. Though I might work on another instead…I haven't decided yet…._

_Much love for my beta, who approve of this before it was even done, ha ha ha._

_Also…Kuro's riding leathers = Piffle Arc :3_

_EleventhFlamesMagic - I'm always worried about my characterization for Yuko, so I'm glad that you loved her in this chapter. :D Thank you very much! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!_

_To. Touch. The. Sky - Oh, but the world does exist…in your miiiind~ *wiggles fingers in the air* I'm sorry for the torture though, I hope some of your extra questions are answered here, ha ha ha._

_1337kitsune - I like to think that Fai's dad looked like Hideki in Tsubasa, just because I'm a hardcore Hideki/Chi shipper, ha ha ha. I know it makes no sense, but it's just a giggly little thing for me._

* * *

"What do you mean you're not coming into work?"

Kurogane rolled his eyes in annoyance as he continued to type in on his laptop, speaking into the cellphone. "I mean I'm not coming into work. Pretty much got an e-mail saying I don't need to bother coming in unless I'm called." It was a blessing and a curse, really. He wanted to go confront Ashura about this all…and at the same time he didn't.

"So what are you going to do - cut that a little loose please! - do now?" Tomoyo asked, pausing mid sentence to yell at someone across the room.

"Job hunting."

"Well," Tomoyo said, sounding amused. "At least you're good at that. If I remember correctly, you were a master of finding summer jobs during high school."

Kurogane just grunted as a response, typing more into his resume. "The year working at Celes Corp will help. I'm not too worried. I'm not rushed either." He rubbed the back of his head. "It's not like I'm a big spender. I could probably go a couple months without a job if I'm careful. Might just take some time off instead."

"With Fai?" Tomoyo was teasing him again.

The corner of his mouth twitched up into a little smile. "Yeah, maybe, well see." His mind drifted to the conversation from the night before. Tomorrow he'd go find Fai, right? So there was no need to tell Tomoyo that Fai wasn't there. Kurogane wasn't in the mood for some kind of lecture. "Well, I'm going to go. Just wanted to tell you don't bother to stop by here to walk to work."

Tomoyo sighed on the other side of the call. "But walking alone is so boring…I guess I'll just have to take Yukito with me more often."

"Yukito…Hey, Tomoyo. Kero, Yukito…How are they?"

"Now that you mention it…" Tomoyo trailed off slightly, probably thinking. "They haven been acting a bit oddly. I was thinking of giving Kero a humanoid style body, but now I'm not so sure. I might have to run a system wipe, and see if I can find a problem-"

"Hey. Don't." Kurogane closed his eyes, shaking his head. "It won't be worth it. Just let them do their own thing."

"Kurogane…?"

"I'll talk to you later." Kurogane flipped his cellphone shut and set it down on the couch, and let himself smile. Maybe the whole hanging up before the conversation could continue thing wasn't so bad. With a content noise, Kurogane sat back on the couch and continued to type.

* * *

9:30 PM rolled around the next night, and Kurogane was ready to go.

Kurogane stared into the kitchen. He'd come downstairs to tell Sakura and Syaoran that he was going out, a helmet tucked under his arm (he'd had to actually go out and buy one earlier in the day), and his leather jacket on and unzipped, only to stop when he'd seen them.

It really was too cute, seeing them flipping through cookbooks, looking at and reading about things with new eyes, innocent and curious.

"Hey," he said, finally, and they both looked up. Kurogane paused to hook his sunglasses over his collar, sunglasses that were tinted red, matching the red of his motorcycle jacket. Kurogane wasn't vain, not really, but he knew he cut an impressive figure in the black and red dyed leathers. If only the collar wasn't so wide - he had to tie something around his neck so it didn't feel so naked. "I'm going to go get Fai. I'll be out late, so don't wait up."

"Be careful," Syaoran said, frowning.

Sakura nodded, then got a determined look to her eyes. "We'll be waiting back here!"

"I just said not to wait up," Kurogane growled, then forced the growl down and waved his free hand in the air. "Whatever. Do whatever you want, but Fai and I won't be home until late. Or early." He finished zipping up his jacket. Then, a harmless threat. "If you two are still up when I get back, you're grounded or something."

Sakura stifled a giggle as he turned and walked out.

Kurogane paused right inside the garage and pressed the button that would open the door, making his way over to his motorcycle. He tossed his leg over it, pulling on the helmet. He gave his head a shake, making sure it was big enough, then put on his sunglasses and placed his hands on the handlebars. The motorcycle came to life under him, and he revved the engine once, twice, three times before pushing off with his legs and driving off.

The engine purred under him, continuous. This late at night, this time of year, there was hardly any traffic late at night, hardly any people. He drove with hesitation, with the single minded goal of getting to his destination.

Driving along, the road started to be lightened by more than his headlights and street lamps. There were neon signs, and late-night buildings lighting up everything. More people walked, going from bar to bar or club to club. The streets pulsed faintly with the sound of harsh beats from clubs, mostly underground ones. When he stopped at a red light, he glanced around. People were all around, certainly. He narrowed his eyes. At this distance, he couldn't tell which ones were flesh-and-bone, and which were metal.

He pulled off to the side of the road when he reached the destination, in front of the gate to a mid-city park. He turned off the motorcycle and kicked the stand down, swinging his leg over it. He took off his glasses only long enough to pull off the helmet before replacing them, resting the helmet on the seat of the bike. He glanced around, then reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone.

10 PM. On the dot.

So where was Fai?

Kurogane glanced around, then narrowed his eyes as something in the park caught his eye. While it wasn't quite late enough for people to be stumbling around in it, drunk, there was someone there.

Why not? Kurogane was in a gambling mood.

Replacing his cellphone in his pocket, he walked into the park, towards the figure sitting in the swings. When he got close enough to see blond hair, short a bit messy, he knew he'd made the right decision. His step was a bit uncertain (he blamed it on the sand under the swing area), and he dug his boots in to get a better stance behind the swings.

"…Fai," he breathed.

The figure on the swings straightened slightly, hands tensing on the chains. "…Kuro?" He stood, then turned, kneeling on the seat of the swing. It was Fai alright. "What are you doing here?" His hips rolled forward, and his hands pulled back on the chains, sending the swing into a small movement, back and forth.

"I'm here to get you, idiot." Kurogane said, crossing his arms over his chest. After a moment he paused, arms uncrossing and staring at Fai. "…Your eyes."

"They didn't have two blue ones," Fai said softly, closing his mismatched eyes, blue and gold, as if ashamed. "Yui could only find these. This isn't….This isn't the body I had before."

Kurogane stepped over to him, reaching out and grabbing the swing's chains to stop it's motion. Fai opened his eyes, looking up at him. "You think I care?" When Fai didn't answer, just stared, Kurogane went on. "Your body isn't the thing I'm concerned with."

"It's more or less like the last one though," Fai murmured after a moment. He looked away. "What do you mean you're here to get me?"

One of Kurogane's hands left the chains and went to Fai's chin, steering the blond's face back towards Kurogane. "I mean, I'm here to take you home."

"Home?" Fai repeated, frowning. "I don't-"

"You have a home. With me." Kurogane said. "And you'd better remember all this, because I am _never_ saying it again." He took a calculated breath in, then out, slowly. "I hate it when you disappear like this. I hate not knowing where you are. And," he paused a moment, then shook his head, "I really hate the sound that the alarm clock makes."

Fai stared up at Kurogane. His eyes didn't shift like they had before. "But, I'm just a-"

"You're you." Kurogane's thumb stroked Fai's jaw, slightly. "That's all I really care about. So, before either of us says something else stupid…" He bent down slightly and pressed his lips against Fai's. Fai tensed, leaning away. "My hands are right here," Kurogane said, a little guiltily the hand on the chain moving down to cover Fai's, the hand on Fai's chin tightening for a moment.

"It really hurt," Fai mumbled, looking up. Kurogane straightened, frowning, and Fai continued on. "It really did, Kuro."

Kurogane pulled his hands back, apologetically. "Well, you don't have to come home with me."

"I didn't say that," Fai said, innocently. He gave the swing another rock before jumping back off it. He kicked at the sand.

"You're complicated." Kurogane scoffed. "Do you really want to stay out here?"

"Well no," Fai said, then looked off, over his shoulder. After a moment Fai almost launched himself at Kurogane. Kurogane almost fell back (and how embarrassing would that have been?), but settled with a grunt and a small step back to keep his balance. Fai's hug was almost bone crushing, but nothing Kurogane couldn't handle. Fai buried his face against Kurogane's shoulder for a few minutes, before pulling back, arms loose around Kurogane's waist. "Besides, Kuro…I don't have an on-off switch anymore" he said, with an odd stubborn tone to his voice. "So you couldn't, even if you wanted to."

"How're you going to recharge?" Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"Got a plug in my arm." Fai pursed his lips, looking up at Kurogane, then softly whined. "Kuro, are we just going to talk business?"

"You had something else in mind?" Kurogane asked, letting himself smile just a bit.

Fai sighed, then smiled. "I just want to go home, Kuro. But you still-"

"I still what?" Kurogane reached back, taking Fai's hands in his. "I talked to Yuko, so whatever you had to say is probably null and void from that."

"You know?" Fai took a step back, but Kurogane's hands kept him from going too far.

"I don't care about all that," Kurogane stated, if it was the most obvious thing in the world and didn't need saying. "Where you came from, anything you've done. Doesn't matter. I know I don't know the whole story, but I know that…" he paused, then lowered his voice. "I know I've got _some_ kind of feelings for you." They were both quiet, and then Fai laughed. Kurogane growled, blushing. "What?"

"You're so awkward Kuro! Could it be that this is your first love confession?"

"No one said anything about love," Kurogane said impatiently, letting go of Fai's hands. "I was just saying-"

"That you looove me, you want to huuuug me," Fai sang, tossing his arms around Kurogane's neck again. "You want to kiiiiiss me, you want to touch me!"

"Are you coming or not?" Kurogane said, cheeks darkening as he stood his ground.

Fai smiled. "Yeah…Oh! Hey, Kuro?"

"What now?"

"Do you know where we are?" Fai laughed. "It's like when we first met…But I really have no idea where we are. Yui just left me here and told me to wait. Someone would pick me up."

"Yeah well," Kurogane said, nodding his head back at the street. "It's not like we're walking in the rain this time. Come on." He walked back (and it was only a little hard with Fai attaching himself to Kurogane's arm). Wordlessly Kurogane picked up the helmet and shoved it into Fai's chest. "Put this on."

"Why?" Fai looked down at it, then held it up, looking at his reflection.

"Because it's illegal for passengers to not wear a helmet. I bought that yesterday, you know."

"You don't wear one?" Fai blinked, looking up at Kurogane.

"Nope."

Fai grinned. "Is it because you're so hard headed?"

Kurogane stared at Fai a moment, then grabbed the helmet, turned it, and pushed it down, over Fai's head. He flicked the visor down. "You just keep that on until I say otherwise." He pushed it back, tilting it and Fai's head up, before tightening the chinstrap. "How's it feel?"

"How's it supposed to feel?" Fai asked, barely understandable.

Kurogane put his hands on either side and gave it a good shake. "Seems tight enough."

"That hurt my neck," Fai said, lifting the visor. He watched as Kurogane tossed his leg over the motorcycle, kicking the stand back up and balancing the bike as he adjusted his glasses. Fai didn't move until Kurogane patted the back of a seat. "I've never been on a motorcycle," Fai said cheerfully, taking the hand. He sat, settling in snugly behind Kurogane.

"I won't do anything crazy," Kurogane said, curling Fai's arm around him. The other arm joined it, and Kurogane sighed at the warmth at his back. "Put your visor down," he ordered as the motorcycle came to life. There was a slight 'click' right next to his ear as Fai put the visor down before going back to holding on to Kurogane around the waist. After a few revs, the motorcycle leapt forward, loudly making it's way down the street.

Kurogane smirked when Fai's arms tightened. It wasn't an 'oh-God-I-can't-breath' grip, thankfully, but rather a firm and welcomed grip. Fai clearly wasn't _scared_, just a little surprised. When Kurogane stopped at a red light, Fai lifted the visor.

"Kuro, this isn't the way home."

"I know," Kurogane said, looking over his shoulder at Fai. "We're going somewhere else first."

"Somewhere else?" Fai's grip loosened as he leaned back slightly.

"Yeah. I don't feel like sharing you." Kurogane smirked when, after a moment, Fai's hands returned and gave him a gentle squeeze, and the blond laughed.

"Kuro is so selfish," Fai said, still laughing as Kurogane reached back and flicked the visor back down, driving again when the light turned green. Still, Fai didn't question Kurogane, or ask their destination, just let Kurogane drive.

Half an hour later, almost all the buildings were residential, homes and apartments and who-knew what, small closed in neighborhoods that probably disliked the roar of Kurogane's motorcycle that late at night. Fai looked around (and almost made Kurogane loose balance once or twice), until they got to the flats outside the city. Since there was nothing to see after that, just plants, tiny communities, and the occasional farmhouse, Fai stopped looking and twisting around to see everything, just rested his helmeted head on Kurogane's shoulder.

Kurogane was sure that, once or twice, he felt Fai sigh against him. Contently? Worriedly? Kurogane couldn't tell.

"Here," he announced, stopping another ten minutes later. He turned off the motorcycle and sat back, nudging back at Fai with his elbow. "You get off first."

Fai laughed and let go, hopping off and removing the helmet. He was stretching his arms and legs when Kurogane kicked down the kickstand and got off the motorcycle.

"You're like a kid sometimes, you know that?" Kurogane said, taking off his sunglasses and hooking them in the edge of his jacket. Fai just smiled, tossing the helmet at him. Kurogane caught it effortlessly, turning it in his hands. "I know I said I didn't care, but I wouldn't mind knowing. It's not like that witch told me anything, really." Kurogane set the helmet on the bike and started to walk up a slight hill.

"Witch?" Fai asked, following for a moment before overtaking Kurogane and racing up to the top of the hill. "You can see the city from here!" He said. It took Kurogane a few moments to reach the top.

"Yeah, yeah." Kurogane took Fai's shoulders and spun him around, away from the faint glow of the city. He pointed back, towards another faint glow. "That's the sister city. Right past it is the ocean." He let go of Fai's shoulders and walked over a free standing tree on the hill, sliding down it until he sat at it's base.

"That's cool," Fai said, swinging his arms slightly before crouching in front of Kurogane. "So, witch?"

"Eh. Yuki Ichihara. Seems like a good name for her." Kurogane shrugged. "So, are you going to tell me?"

"You spoke with her?" Fai chewed on his lip. "How much do you know?"

"Hardly anything." Kurogane scoffed.

"Well that doesn't help!" Fai whined, swaying slightly. "What don't you know?"

"Everything." Kurogane shook his head. "I know that it was her, Clow Reed, and Fei Wong, working together. And they had assistants. Ashura was one. And some people named Chi and Hideki. And she said you're special."

"Wooow, you hardly know anything!" Fai laughed, but it was a bit empty. He reached down, tracing out designs in the grass. "Okay…I'll tell you, because there's stuff that only Yui and I know, anyway. But it's a pretty long story. Won't you be late for work?"

"Nope." Kurogane pillowed his hands behind his head, slouching against the tree's trunk. "Go ahead. I'm all yours."

"I like the sound of that…" Fai said, almost dreamily.

"Daydream later," Kurogane said, kicking out at him gently.

Fai laughed, pushing Kurogane's boot away. "Okay okay. Let's see…" He shifted and scooted until he sitting next to Kurogane, though he was leaning more against Kurogane's side than the tree trunk. "Where to start…It goes back quite a bit. Well, you know? Yuko Ichihara and Clow Reed and Fei Wong are really great programmers and stuff. It's almost like magic. From what I understand, they didn't want to see androids walking around and be empty forever, so they decided to make the Soul Program."

"Soul Program," Kurogane echoed, one arm going to rest around Fai's shoulders.

"They said that…that's really the only thing that makes human and androids different." Fai's head flopped onto Kurogane's shoulder and he belt his knees, resting his arms on them. "So they decided that was an appropriate name. It basically…it lets us be human." He smiled. "See? I can lie, and make mistakes, and get scared. I can forget things too, and think for myself. So they made that, and made it a virus, so it can change on it's own." He nodded, closing his eyes. "Which means it can also get into other androids and make them change, but that doesn't come yet."

"So what does come next?"

"The first generation. Clow Reed make Watanuki, Yuko Ichihara made Marudoshi and Morodoshi, and Clow Reed make Kyle Rondart and Xing Huo. They-"

"I met the first three," Kurogane said. "When I met the witch. But those other two?"

"They're dead," Fai said, looking serious. "That…That comes later in the story. Stop trying to jump."

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "So sorry."

"Anyways," Fai said, clearing his throat. "They were good prototypes but they had their flaws that made them really android-like. So, the ability to pass on the programming was disabled until it could be perfected. While they were working, Chi and Hideki Motosuwa…They asked if they could make models for themselves." Fai's voice softened. "They were married. Chi…Chi was infertile though. She couldn't bear children, and they wanted them so bad…So Yuko agree, and they worked on bodies. That's how Yui and I were born." He smiled. "We got the program too, so we were human. But because of our interactions and own inner programming, the Soul Program got about as good as it'll get."

"What happened to them? Chi and Hideki." Kurogane pressed, delicately.

"I dunno." Fai frowned. "They just…disappeared. That's when everything kind of fell apart. It was right after our programming was given to the original five. They disappeared. So did the other assistants, except for Ashura." Fai reached over with a hand, grabbing onto Kurogane's jacket. The movement was out of distress, Kurogane decided, so he tightened his arm around Fai's shoulders, pulling him closer. "Yui and I…We fell asleep. He woke up first, I think. When I woke up, Kyle and Xing were on the floor, in pieces. There was…There was blood everywhere." Fai gave a little shudder.

"You can stop if you want," Kurogane murmured, but Fai shook his head.

"He dragged me down the hallway, and then Fei Wong saw us, and we were cornered. He said that there was no way that both of us were going to get away. Yui got shot, but we managed to get ourselves to a lap, and we sealed off the door. He…He disabled his ability to spread the Soul Program, and he downloaded himself into me before he pushed me out a window…" Fai looked up at Kurogane. "I can fall a long way, you know? Without getting hurt. He yelled at me to run, so I did." Fai looked away, then up at the stars. "I heard a bang, and I looked back, and he'd jumped. He jumped, Kuro."

"…So your body was the only one that could spread the soul program," Kurogane said, quietly. "But this body isn't-"

"You're skipping ahead again," Fai said, sticking out his tongue. "Patience Kuro." When Kurogane only rolled his eyes, Fai went on. "Ashura found me, and he protected me. He was taking me to Celes Corp, said if I just let the Soul program out, then it would be okay. He said that Fei Wong wanted to use us as weapons." Fai paused. "Imagine it, Kuro," Fai murmured, "androids, smarter, stronger than humans, able to hack computers and do all kinds of things that humans can't, and completely blending in. Able to bruise and bleed and stuff."

"You'd be impossible to detect, except for your eyes-"

"Sunglasses." Fai said, then laughed. "You know, all cool spies wear sunglasses. Even so, the technology would have caught up eventually. These eyes…they don't shift like the others."

"I noticed," Kurogane said, with a small nod.

"Anyways," Fai continued, after a moment, "on the way to Celes Corp, they've got a big network satellite you know, Yui told me to run….so I did."

"Ashura acted like he didn't know anything, all this time." Kurogane frowned.

"Well, would you believe all this?" Fai asked.

"No, guess no." Kurogane let out a slow breath.

"You really need to stop interrupting." Fai sighed. "Anyways….That's all I know." He closed his eyes, pressing down against Kurogane's shoulder firmer.

"So…Yui downloaded himself into you?"

"Personality drivers," Fai said, opening his eyes and looking off. "And the Guard program, and the firewalls. But…The firewalls were keeping the Tower Program out."

"Tower program?"

"The Tower…was something he put in when no one was watching. It allowed him to control us. I think…he must have gotten Yui too, so Yui didn't die, and was using Yui to find me and pet past the firewalls, but he couldn't active the Tower until they were down-"

"Which happened when I shut you down. Fuck." Kurogane shook his head. "But, this body, it isn't the one from before, is it?"

"Nope…" Yui shuddered. "When you shut me down, I was drifting in the back of Yui's mind. He took over the body, you know…Remote start up. It was so dark and cold…I was scared." When he shuddered, Kurogane pressed a kiss against his hair. Fai smiled, shifting to wrap both his arms around Kurogane. "I don't know how long it was…but eventually I woke up in a new body. This one…He told me to get dressed and that it would all be okay. And then he took me to the park, and then you came, and here we are." Fai nodded.

"So what's going to happen to the program?" Kurogane frowned, speaking against Fai's hair.

"Oh, that….What time is it?"

"I don't know. Near eleven?"

"Oh…" Fai pulled back, looking out towards the city. "He's going to send it out….to everyone."

"What?" Kurogane blinked, then looked back towards the city. "But something like - the _hell_."

"Well Kuro, sending out a program to everyone in Cyberspace distance takes up a lot of energy." Fai smiled as the lights of cities, both cities, disappeared, as well as all the lights in between. A complete black out. "Everyone'll get to be human now…"

Kurogane just stared. It took several minutes before lights began to reappear, bit by bit. "But it couldn't have reached the entire world-"

"No, but there's a program that'll direct it to continue out. Anyone that can, will send it out too." Fai stood, brushing off the seat of his pants.

"Amazing," Kurogane muttered, "but sort of invasive, don't you think? And sudden, what it-"

Fai silenced Kurogane by placing a finger on his lips. "I think...it'll be hard for some. But I also think it's for the best." He stepped closer, lowering his hand and resting it, and the other, on Kurogane's shoulder. "I also think that it's late, and I'm kind of tired Kuro…It'll be okay." Fai smiled. "So take me home?"

Kurogane felt a bit troubled by it all, but tilted his head forward and kissed the top of Fai's. "Alright." He reached for Fai's hand. "Let's go home. And no going away."

"Deal." Fai smiled.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: I'm sorry this is late, this chapter gave me lots of trouble! That said… *sniff* It's over! (Except for the epilogue. See you all on Thursday with that!) I'm not really happy with this chapter, but….it seemed like the best, and easiest, way to do things in the end. It came to a rather calm end, didn't it? A ha. But, yes, I'm not really happy how this turned out. It seems like an afterthought sort of thing._

_That all said…I really hoped that everyone really enjoyed it! I certainly did! There are things I would have done differently, but I am very, very, happy at how it turned out._

_Thanks to my beta, who was very patient all along the way._

_To. Touch. The. Sky - I'm glad that most of, if not all, your questions were answered! :3 Also - I think most people portray Ashura like that just because we really don't see that much of him, so there's a lot of person-lore to him. And even when he went crazy, he was still trying so hard not to…Poor Ashura. Also, everyone seems to love a really dark and abused and depressed emo Fai, so Ashura becomes a scapegoat for it, ha ha ha._

_1337kitsune - Kuro will always have his Kuro-Daddy moments, don't you think? Ha ha ha. I'm happy you loved all the Easter eggs, they were fun to put in. :3 Also - I hope you didn't get grounded! Ha ha ha._

_EFM - Anytime I get a fan girl squeal, I count it as a good chapter. :D_

_Nazgurl - Maybe, maybe not. Hopefully the things said in this chapter justify Yui's decision for you a bit. :3 _

* * *

Kurogane woke up to the second most annoying sound in the world. The first was the sound of his alarm clock. The second?

Fai imitating his alarm clock _right in his ear._

"Stop it," Kurogane growled, opening his eyes and shoving his hand into Fai's face, looming over him.

Fai laughed, pulling out of arm's reach of Kurogane. "I thought it was a fun way to wake you up." Without waiting for Kurogane to speak or response, he grabbed all of the blankets and pulled them off, tossing them to the side. "You've been called into work! Apparently they called in last night after you left to get me."

"What?" Kurogane sat up, irritated at the sudden cold. "What for?" He narrowed his eyes. "Is that my shirt?"

"Yep!" Fai spun around in a circle. "These are my jeans though. I didn't think you'd be happy if I was running around your house pantless." He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning back on his hands. "Anyways, I'll make you breakfast, since Sakura and Syaoran are still sleeping. Unless you want me for breakfast?" He winked.

"Idiot," Kurogane muttered, getting up and walking to the bathroom. Fai followed along behind him, only to get the door closed in his face.

"…Kuro?"

"You are not coming into the bathroom with me," Kurogane said, through the door. "If you want to make yourself useful, go make me something to eat."

"Okay, but first! Kuro!" Fai laughed on the other side of the door. "You have to tell me that you like me! I know last night was your attempt at a confession, but I want to hear it again."

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Kurogane said, eyes narrowing at the door.

Fai tapped his fingers against the other side of the door. "I'm waaaaaiting Kuro-puppy - ah!" Fai barely caught himself when the door suddenly opened, and he straightened to look up at Kurogane.

"The hell is Kuro-puppy?" He growled, glaring down at Fai.

"I'll come up with something else," Fai said cheerfully. "So what would you like for breakfast?"

"You know what? Nevermind, I'll make it myself. Just go…watch TV or something." Kurogane closed the door again, stubbornly, rolling his eyes when he heard Fai's laughter fade away. He could just barely hear him walking down the stairs.

He set the shower to a heat just short of painful and showered and shaved quickly. As stupid as he sounded to himself, he really didn't want Fai to be alone too long. Who knew what might happen, what might send him off.

Nursing a small cut on his chin, Kurogane changed and walked downstairs. He spotted Fai on the couch, legs crossed under him, television remote in hand. With a glance at the TV, Kurogane recognized the program as the news. "So, what's new in the world?" he asked casually as he made his way over to the kitchen. He could do this. He'd cooked for himself before. (Not well, but that wasn't important.)

"Emergency report," Fai said, quietly, eyes glued to the television.

"What's the emergency?" Kurogane asked, giving up and getting a bowl down for cereal.

"Two of Celes Corp's buildings were destroyed," Fai said, quietly. His hands tensed on the remote. "Including the one you worked at, Kuro."

"_What?_" Kurogane forgot about breakfast, going over and staring at the television.

"Reporting live from the research building currently being used for fighting-build androids research, this is Primera," spoke the girl on the television, standing in front of police tape and a small crowd. A few people seemed oblivious to the serious state of affairs there - there was more than one sign declaring love for Primera. Well, she was quite popular.

"How's it look out there Primera?" Asked the young man in the studio. Was his name Shougo? Kurogane wasn't sure, he didn't watch the news often.

"It's quite a mess out here. It seems like they're still clearing the rubble, and emergency medical personnel are tending to everyone they've found. Early reports say that the fire alarm went off a few minutes before the building came down. So almost everyone got out okay." She paused, closing her eyes. "According to the police and rescue teams, there's been two people found dead. The building was destroyed just half an hour ago, so it seems that no one was at work. The identity of the two have yet to be announced." She smiled then. "Back to you, Shougo!"

Fai pressed the mute button, and looked up at Kurogane. "Kuro..I…" Fai paused, seeming choked. "I can't explain it, but I think this was Yui's doing."

"Fai…" Kurogane frowned, then glared off as the doorbell rang. "Damn it. I'll be right back, let me get that." When Fai just nodded, Kurogane left the room, going to answer the door. "What-"

"Kurogane! Did you hear?" Tomoyo hissed in a whisper. Yukito stood behind her, along with an orange (Not red, _orange_, what the hell was Tomoyo thinking?) haired man. Judging by the lack of Kero, Kurogane guessed that she'd placed Kero in the humanoid body.

And of course (because Kurogane's day was clearly only going to get worse and worse), standing behind them all was Yuko with her three androids from before. "I'm sure he did!" Yuko stated, almost cheerfully, shoving her way inside the house, uninvited. The two girls with her gave out a cry in unison of 'Don't mind if we come in!'. Watanuki was much more polite, waiting until Kurogane gave up and waved them in before entering.

"Yeah, I heard, I was just watching the news," Kurogane said, slamming the door shut when the group was inside.

"Who would have known that Fei Wong would burn his bridges like this." Yuko said, pointing at the living room. "Is this the way to the kitchen?"

"Yeah, but-" Kurogane started, but it was no use, Yuko was already heading that way, dragging Watanuki behind her and telling him to cook them all something.

"Kurogane," Tomoyo said, resting a hand on his arm. "Are you okay? You were home, right?"

"Yeah, asleep…Apparently they called me in, but…well." Kurogane shook his head, then spun around and stomped into the kitchin-living-dining room when he heard a loud crash. "What's going on here?"

When everything was settled and Kurogane, Yuko, and Tomoyo were fed, and after Yuko bemoaned Kurogane's lack of anything alcoholic and tasty, they settled in, watching the television. It was the same report, more or less. Nothing new to report, so it stayed on mute.

"Well…I think it's safe to say our jobs aren't around there anymore," Tomoyo said delicately, sipping at a cup of tea.

"No, really," Kurogane muttered, glancing at Yuko in the kitchen, talking between Watanuki and Fai, Sakura and Syaoran. "Think we'll still get paid?"

"Oh, of course, paychecks for the most recent pay period went out yesterday." Tomoyo sighed against the rim of the mug.

Kurogane shook his head, looking back to the television. "Good thing I was already planning on finding a new job."

Tomoyo just nodded and they were both quiet. After a few minutes she set down her mug. "Miss Yuko told me." She sat up, hands clasped in her lap. "About it all. About Fai, and those three."

"I did," Yuko, appearing right behind the couch and leaning against the back. Kurogane jumped, and she laughed. "Don't be so jumpy," she teased, wagging a finger at him. She straightened back up, crossing her arms. "It seems to be spreading, so-"

"Won't it cause trouble?" Kurogane asked, narrowing his eyes at Yuko. "I mean, people see them as property-"

"Society used to see women as property too," Yuko countered, grinning. "The Clow Reed Institute will be lobbying a bill through congress over the next few months, to try and get things like that removed. Ah, of course the thoughts will take longer, but legally…" she sighed. "It's a start."

"How's something like that going to pass?" Kurogane growled, then narrowed his eyes when Tomoyo giggled.

"Kurogane, the Clow Reed Institute, and Miss Yuko's company, they're quite powerful." Tomoyo smiled.

"That's dirty," Kurogane growled, looking back at the television.

"Most things in politics is," Yuko said, with a laugh, then reached out and patted Tomoyo's shoulder. "If you decide to go through with your idea, do give me a call! I wouldn't mind buying a few shares of the stock myself." She clapped. "Maru, Moro, Watanuki, we're going!"

"The mistress is going!" The two said, skipping out of the room, hand in hand. Watanuki just grumbled something and finished whatever he was saying to Fai, Sakura, and Syaoran, waving before following Marudoshi and Morodoshi out.

"I'll be sure to," Tomoyo said, smiling at Yuko. "I wouldn't mind getting a few eyes like theirs, for Kero and Yukito. They have this Soul Program as well, correct?"

"That's right," Yuko said. "You give me a call too, Fai, I do enjoy our talks."

"Will do," Fai said, walking over, smiling.

"Ta!" Yuko said. After a few moments of shuffling, the door closed.

"That woman is crazy," Kurogane muttered, and Tomoyo laughed. "What was she talking about, idea?" He looked over at Tomoyo, even as Fai sat down next to him and cuddled up to his arm.

"Oh, well, I've been thinking of starting my own business in the industry for many years…" Tomoyo smiled. "But the timing was never quite right. Now however, with this," she gestured at the television, "I was just thinking maybe it's time to think about it more seriously." Before Kurogane could respond, she looked around him, at Fai. "Fai?"

"Yes?" Fai lifted his head off Kurogane's shoulder slightly, blinking at Tomoyo.

"Kero and Yukito both have the Soul Program, but…They still seem the same. But Sakura and Syaoran, they seem different. I can't speak for you, of course." She laughed, picking up her tea again and taking a sip. "Because you've always had it, correct?"

"That's right." Fai smiled. "Kero and Yukito…They have it, but it's not awakened like Sakura or Syaoran's."

"Awakened?" She tilted her head.

"It's not quite awakened because…they haven't found a reason to really live, yet."

"A reason?" Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"Yep!" Fai laughed. "But that's something I can't answer for you, everyone has to find that out on their own. We're not quite as lucky as you two." He smiled, gently, then looked at Tomoyo with a curious expression. "What'll you do with your business, Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo smiled brightly. "I want to design bodies for androids, and things for humans, that imitate the human body even better. I think there was always a reason that androids were built to resemble humans, but it's been stalled for so long. We need to take another step, and with this-" she stopped, looking at the television. She reached for the remote, pressing the button to unmute it. "Wait…"

"Breaking news," Shougo said, hands clasped over a paper. "The identities of the two bodies found in the rubble of the Celes Corp building have been released. Fei Wong, president of his own company, and Ashura Celes, one of the presidents of Celes Corp were both well known and well respected members of the community. They will be missed."

The report went on, but Kurogane didn't pay attention to it. No, he was focusing on Fai, who was gripping his arm so tight that it hurt. "Fai…_Fai_."

"Yui did it," Fai whispered. "Fei Wong must have gone there with him…And Yui broke free of the Tower Program…and Yui did it. I'm sure of it…I'm sure of it." He pressed his forehead against Kurogane's shoulder, helplessly. "I can feel it…"

Kurogane wrenched his arm out of Fai's grip and wrapped it around the blond's shoulder, holding him close. He gave Tomoyo a helpless look, but she only shrugged, just as helpless. With a sigh, Kurogane just rubbed at Fai's back, awkwardly.

"Well, might as well stay for lunch," Kurogane said, finally, mostly just to break the silence."Not like I can cook though."

"I'll make something," Tomoyo said, with a little laugh. "Yukito? Would you mind helping me?"

"Me too, I want to learn!" Sakura said from where her and Syaoran were sitting on the floor. Kero ended up going as well, as did Syaoran, leaving Kurogane and Fai just on the couch.

"It hurts," Fai mumbled.

"I know," Kurogane said. "But I'm here…You know. For you. If you need to talk or something…" When Fai just giggled, a bit pathetically, Kurogane growled. "What're you laughing at?"

"You're really bad at this sort of thing, aren't you Kuro…"

Kurogane just grumbled under his breath.

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"I'll be going now." Tomoyo smiled up at Kurogane, even as Yuktio and Kero waved and stepped out ahead.

"Yeah yeah." Kurogane pocketed his hands. "Hey, if you do the business thing…I'll go along with it."

"Really?" Tomoyo smiled. "Well then, I'll take that into account when I'm thinking it over." She giggled. "Good night Kurogane, Fai, Sakura, Syaoran." She smiled and bowed her head at them before leaving, closing the door behind her.

There was silence, then Kurogane sniffed the air. "..Is something burning?"

"Dinner!" Sakura squeaked, running off. Syaoran followed, laughing nervously.

"I feel sorry for them. Yukito and Kero," Kurogane said, after a moment.

Fai looked up at Kurogane, rubbing his eyes and sniffling once. "Why?"

"The Soul Program. They've got to find something to live for. You said something like that, right? It's not as easy as it sounds, even for humans. You're just lucky." Kurogane's cheeks darkened as he looked away, pointedly. "You've got love, right?"

Fai laughed, despite himself. "Kuro, is this your newest attempt as a love confession?"

"Idiot."

Fai reached up, turning Kurogane's face back to him. "You're right, Kuro." Fai smiled. "That can be one of things that makes it complete."

"Sakura and Syaoran?" Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"They found each other." Without another word, Fai stood up on his tip-toes and kissed Kurogane, smiling against it when Kurogane held him close and returned the kiss.

Fai wouldn't want to live any other way.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: The epilogue! ((Or, as I call it, epi-lame, because…well.)) It's kind of just a little afterthought, not really the best…And there's a large time jump, for obvious reasons. I'm not planning any kind of sequel, but lucky for you all, I am planning a series of random drabbles that take place between the first 12 chapters and this here epilogue! Keep an eye out for 'Becoming More Human', which will probably be up within the next few weeks. Also, keep your eye out for 'What We're Made Of', which was supposed to be another Sci-Fi one…but really only took on one Sci-Fi-esque thing. I'm hoping to have it up over the next few weeks, and I'll try to make something more Sci-Fi (A ha ha, Sci-Fai ) next time._

_Thanks to everyone for the story faves, alerts, reviews, and support!_

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There was a party going on in the Piffle Princess Co. building. After eight years of going back and forth (and a few underhandedness on the part of many an android company), the bill to give androids all the same rights as humans had passed. And so what did Tomoyo do?

She threw a really, really big party.

Well, why not? In the seven years that Piffle Princess Co. had been up and running, they'd done well. More than well. And with the release of the Soul Program, it being common knowledge, all the legal nonsense that had followed it all…Somehow, they'd become a top rated company for android parts that were more and more humanlike, with ever improving technology.

There was a whole network of companies working on that goal now, but Piffle Princess Co. was one of the best.

Of course, when Yuko and her company made a formal announcement about the Soul Program and started the business of getting androids the same basic right as humans, there had been more than a panic, and all too many android lives, and lives that could have been, were lost. It had been terrible, really. Yuko had taken many of those androids into her company and done her best. Even Kurogane had donated some of his time to working on them (which he hadn't minded, since Yuko sometimes left him alone) between running errands or doing things for Tomoyo (which he had minded, since Tomoyo treated him like an errand boy).

Kurogane leaned back against the wall, looking over the crowd. He was looking for someone in particular, but recognized plenty of others. He'd had a part in hiring quite a few of them. After all, he was the vice president, a fact he wasn't quite happy about some days, but he couldn't argue with the paycheck. Most of the employees or guests were human, but some were androids, full or partially 'awakened.' After a few minutes, and a few cups of punch (it wasn't spiked, yet, but who knew if or when something like that would happen.) he finally spotted who was looking for, on the other side of the room, and he wove his way through the crowd.

"Of course, there will still be crimes against androids," Fai said, swirling his water in the cup he was holding, "but there are crimes against humans all the time. The thing is, now they'll be treated as crimes against people, and not property."

"Aren't you worried about racism and things like that?" One of the young ladies in the little group asked.

Fai laughed. "I'd be worried if there wasn't a bit to some people. There's still plenty of it in the world. If it suddenly vanished, and there wasn't any towards androids, then I would be concerned. For that matter-"

"Sorry, but I've got to break up this conversation," Kurogane said, coming up behind Fai. Okay, so he wasn't really sorry, but so what?

Fai turned, smiling brightly. "Kuro! Where have you been hiding?" He waved at the little group of people he'd been taking down and took Kurogane's arm in his free hand, pulling him off to the side.

"Over here, where you just dragged me." Kurogane rolled his eyes. "Don't like parties."

"Not even our parties?" Fai grinned teasingly, pressing himself against Kurogane. When Kurogane looked away, cheeks darkening, Fai laughed. "So, were you looking for me?"

"Yeah. I'm calling it quits and heading home while it's still good."

"Well, I guess it is getting late." Fai smiled. "I'll go too. As it is, I'm feeling a bit tired." He sighed, holding up his water and looking at it. "My water isn't cold enough anymore either, so I can't keep cool. Truth be told, I'm getting a little overheated…" He fanned at his face, pouting. "When will Piffle Princess come out with the better water cooling system? I'm anxious to get one."

"Not until next year." Kurogane grumbled, tossing his plastic cup into the trash. "You're always so quick to volunteer to try out the new parts." He pocketed his hands.

"You always look so dashing in a suit, Kuro," Fai said, finishing off the water in his cup before the cup joined Kurogane's in the trashcan. Fai reached out, taking the lapels of Kurogane's jacket and feeling the fabric. "Everyone is always surprised that you clean up so nicely!"

"Idiot," Kurogane said with an affectionate tone, rolling his eyes. "Anyways, let's get going before Tomoyo shows up with something stupidly frilly for you to wear or makes me do a speech or a toast or something."

Fai laughed, patted Kurogane's chest before stepping back. "But, really, would it be so bad Kuro? I mean, this is a pretty good thing, right? The bill getting passed and all. We should be celebrating!"

"We will," Kurogane said, stepping towards the door and Fai followed. "But only because you want to. It's not like anything's changed."

"How can you say that?" Fai pouted, but it wasn't very serious.

"It'll take awhile for people to get used to, and it's not like how I feel about you is any different just because you're a 'person' in the eyes of the law now."

Fai laughed. "I love you too, Kuro."

Kurogane just rolled his eyes when Fai grabbed his hand, linking their fingers together as they reached the glass front doors. "Yeah, love you or something."


End file.
